Treason Love
by Inugirl345
Summary: [InuKag MirSan]A fallen prince is taken from his best friend to work in a slave mine. He escapes to fufill a promise to the princess of the Eastern Lands. Now, he and a few others are fighting for their lives, on a journey which not everyone will survive.
1. The Boy

A/N: This story is set in early Eroupian times with those kinds of castles and monaches.   
  
Chapter I  
  
The Boy  
  
*~^~*  
  
Gently, a breeze washed over the small garden; full of beautiful assortments of different colors of flowers. The brittle leaves of the small trees that dotted the small garden waved to the sun in happiness, drinking it's warm rays. Next to the wonerful assortments sat was the cold grey stone of a castle; looming over a large village, and beyond stood rolling mountains and endless plains with quietly grazing horses. Inside a small room facing the pasture, full of beautiful horses sat a young girl. Princess Kagome. She sat in a wooden chair, one of the most detail, as her mother braided her hair. She sighed and leaned back.  
  
"Mama I'm bored!" She whined. Her mother's eyes narrowed and she gently patted her head in annoyence.  
  
"Kagome, proper language! You are a princess, and must use the language of the court!" She scolded with a heavy royal accent.   
  
Kagome grumbled. She hated the court language and the court. She thought they were all stuck up jerks who didn't know the meaning of the word 'family'. She also hated the accent that her mother had just demonstrated. So she had forced herself to escape the accent, and used a fake one around other formal people. She often used the peasent's language because it was much easier to speak thair way. Being a princess wasn't half bad; except for those terms.  
  
"Yes, mother..." She sighed boredly. Her mother nodded in approval. Kagome surpressed the urge to roll her eyes.   
  
"When I finish braiding you're hair you can go out to the village and play with you're friend Sango if you wish." Her mother offered. Kagome pirked at that. Her family was very lanient when it came to Kagome's friends. If it was any other kingdom, the nobles would treat thair peasents badly and say they were scum, also telling thair children the same. So when they grew up, they would treat them as thair parents did. But here, the peasents were treated fairly by the kings order.   
  
"Really? I can!?" She asked. Her mother nodded. "Hurry!" She prompted excitedly. She hadn't seen Sango in quite a while, because she was the village demon extermonator along with her family, and had been on an importent job the last few days, just coming back a few days ago. Kagome often invited them to the castle to have fun, if her father permitted it.  
  
Kagome's mother finnaly finished braiding her hair after what seemed like hours, and bid her fairewell as she ran to get a village kimono. She didn't wear her formal cloths to the village. She changed into a bright orange one with a red obi, it had small flower patters scatterd across it. After changing she quickly ran out the gates of the castle to the large village below.  
  
*~^~*  
  
A young boy sat in a tree above some children, who were playing with a ball made of deer hide. They were playing in a worn area void of anything other than dirt. Surrounding that was some grass in patches untill it led to the beautiful green fields of the horse pasture and plains. He watched them play with an annoyed look, yet tensed. He was young, only about twelve years of age give or take. He looked somewhat strange, with long silvery white hair, molten gold-amber eyes, and two very white fluffy canine like ears adorning the top of his head, peaking out from his scruffy hair. If you looked closer, you could see small, yet dangerous claws in place of his finger nails. He yawned widely, (but very quietly as to not disturb the children) in what seemed like boredom, his tongue curling as a dog's would, baring fangs that could possibly rip steel. He looked back at the children playing below him and glared angrily.  
  
"Keh! Idiots. What's so fun about playing with a ball?" He growled quietly. But deep inside he wanted to play with them too. To have fun the way they were....to be...accepted. He would never ask them though. The last time he did, they'd yelled at him and called him a freak, an outcast, and a half-breed. They made fun of his ears and pushed him around, laughing the whole time, and calling him names he didn't even know the meaning to. All he'd asked was if he could play with them, and they went balistic. He would never make that mistake again.  
  
He sighed quietly and his ears drooped a bit, as he continued to watch them frolic with longing eyes. There were three boys a little older than him, a little boy and a girl a little younger than him. One of the boys had dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. He wore an expression full of pride as he stole the ball from the another boy. The boy whom he'd taken the ball from had greasy black hair that hadn't been washed in a while. His brown eyes shone bright as he chased after him, with quick speed for a young human. The last boy stood to the side, watching them in anticipation. He had light brown hair and brown eyes as well. The young girl had dark dark brown hair that reached a bit passed her waist, and chocolate brown eyes, the younger kid looked a bit like her. He had short black hair and freckles under his nose, with the same choclate brown eyes as the girl.  
  
Suddenly one of the older kids ran by the young boy, tripping him roughly, as if on purpose. The little boy fell on his back hard, and began to cry in pain. The young girl ran up to him and picked him up gently, cradling him him her lap and wishpering condolences in his ear. The young half-demon recognized her as the girl who always came around to play ball with the boys of the village. She always came with the little boy, her brother, and played with them while he cheered her on. He was usually ignored by everyone except his sister, and that made her slightly angry.  
  
"Ashi, you idiot! Say sorry to Kohaku!" She demanded angrilly, glaring at him heatedly. The boy, Ashi, walked up and smirked triumphently.  
  
"Yeah right Sango. Over my dead body!" He retorted cockily with a snort. Sango growled and set her brother down gently, standing up and glaring in the kids face.  
  
"Apologise or you'll regret it!" She gwarned in a low voice. He laughed mockingly.  
  
"Or you''ll what?" He laughed. "You're a girl! What could you do-" He was cut off as she punched him hard, in the face, throwing him off balance and into the dirt from the force. She dusted off her hands and smirked disdainfully.  
  
"Anyone else?" She asked glaring. That added to her smirk made her look quite frightening. The other two boys shook thair heads quickly, with nervous looks and ran over to Ashi. They dragged the unconsious boy to the grass away from the dirt ground and continued to play, avoiding any contact whatsoever from Sango.  
  
The half-demon in the tree couldn't help but smirk at the exchange. 'Note to self: NEVER get that girl mad no matter WHAT.' He thought causiously. Not that he would ever talk to her. Suddenly, a young ravan haired girl came running down the path from the village wearing an orange and red kimono. The half-demon boy cocked his head in curiosity. He had never seen her before...  
  
"Sango!" The young girl called happily. Sango stopped chasing the boys and turned with a growing smile. Her smile turned into a full blown grin when the raven haired girl stopped in front of her with her arms behind her back waving with one hand and giggling.  
  
"Kagome!" She cried happily, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm glad you came! I was wondering when you'd come see me." She said. Kagome grinned as well.  
  
"I'm glad to see you came back safely!" She said. The boys stopped running around and glanced at the pair briefly, rolling thair eyes. Kagome was also a killer girl like Sango. She could do some damage with a fist, but watch out when she got a bow and arrow... "Can I play too?" She asked Sango excidedly. She nodded happily and ran up to one of the boys, grabbing the ball frm his grip. They pouted but said nothing. Grinning she walked back over to Kagome and handed it to her.  
  
"You get a free shot!" She said. Kagome took the ball from her and set it on the ground in front of her. She backed up a fair distance and ran towards the ball as fast as her legs could take her. She kicked it with huge force, and sent it into the brances of the nearby tree unitentionally.  
  
The half-demon didn't see what hit him when the ball came flying through the branches of the tree, hitting him directly in the face with tremendous force. He fell back and out of the tree with a cry and landed on his stomach his eyes swirling. He sat up slowly and rubbed his head with a small groan.   
  
"What the heck was that?" He asked glaring up the tree. The ball came down and hit him on the head once again. He growled annoyed, and rubbed his offended nose. Only then did he notice he was being stared at. 'Aw crap!'   
  
All of them were staring at him as if he had sixteen eyes. He stared back. He looked to his side where the ball lay and picked it up. Holding it out to them, he put on a nervous look. He wasn't nervous, oh no. But they didn't need to know that. The two boys looked about ready to bolt, the other was still unconsious in the grass. The girls looked surprised and curious about his presence.   
  
"Y-you get it Gaku..." The boy with black hair told the light brown haired boy. The other shook his head before noticing the half-demons ears. He grinned evilly and smirked.  
  
"He's only a half-demon!" He said in a mocking tone, pointing at him as if he were on show. The half-demons ears drooped for a split second before his nervous look dissapeared and was replaced by anger as he growled angrilly.  
  
"He even sounds like a dog!" The boy mocked, laughing as the other joined him.  
  
"Do you want this or not!?" The half-demon asked. He just wanted to get away from them, with or whithout thair stupid ball. The boy, Gaku walked up to him haughtily. Grinning, he pushed the young half-demon down in the dirt, and laughed disdainfully.  
  
"Not when a weakling like you has touched it." He said smirking. The half-demon looked saddened for a second, before his golden eyes flashed angrilly.  
  
"Fine! Take you're stupid ball!" He shouted, standing quickly and tossing the ball into the village. The other boy ran up to him and punched him square in the jaw catching him off guard, and pushing him back into the trees trunk. The half-demon held his jaw in his hand and closed one eye. It didn't hurt much phisicly, but it hurt emotionally. The raven haired girl suddenly ran up to him, her face contorted in worry.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked concerned. He let go of his jaw and flexed it, not tasting any blood or feeling pain he replied.   
  
"I've had worse..." He comented angrily.  
  
She gave him a relieved look before turning to the boys and pointing to the village. "I forbid you to ever come near here again untill you've learned not to hurt peoples feeling, no matter who or what they are!" She shouted at them. They glared at her angrilly, but walked back to the village dragging Ashi with them. She was a princess after all... She turned back to the boy and smiled a bit.   
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked. He nodded and looked away from her eyes. Someone like him was never suposed to look into the eyes of someone like her.  
  
"I can fend for myself. I live on my own."  
  
She looked concerned. "What about you're parents? Souldn't they tell the bullys to leave you alone?." She asked. He looked at her.  
  
"That's what everyone does to me... Plus my parents are dead." He said. 'Why did I tell her that?' he thought. She looked stricken before her face contorted in sadness.  
  
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to bring that up. But it's not fair that people treat you that way!" She told him. He glared at her.  
  
"I'm a hanyou! Hanyou means bad!" He growled, avoiding the other subject. She shook her head with a stubborn look.  
  
"No it doesn't! You're not bad!" She said. He glared at her.  
  
"How do you know I'm not bad?" He asked growling.   
  
"Because you don't seem bad at all!" She replied. He glared at her again before dropping the subject and looking back at the ground.  
  
"Do you have a name?" She asked changing the subject. Sango stood behind her aprehensively. He was a demon after all.. He looked surprised at that before quickly covering it with annoyence.  
  
"Inuyasha..." He said quietly. The girl smiled happily and pointed behind her.  
  
"I'm Kagome! And thats Sango!" She introduced herself and her friend. He nodded slowly, avoiding her eyes again. She smiled at him. "Well since I banished the other boys do you want to play with us?" She asked. He looked up at her, perplexed.   
  
"Y-you mean it?" He asked in disbelief loosing his annoyed exterior. She nodded vigerously. He stared for a moment before breaking into a small smile. The first smile since before his mother died. "You won't make fun of my ears will you?" He asked nervously and he twiched them a bit. Kagome's smile widend.  
  
"No! Of course not! Thair too cute to be made fun of!" She said giggling. He blushed slightly, and smiled again. "By the way..." She asked nevously. Inuyasha winced 'Here it comes' "Can I.....touch them?" She asked. Inuyasha stared. Numbly he nodded as she squealed and rubbed his ears. At first he thought it would hurt, since the only one he let touch his ears was his mother. But it felt rather good.... She stopped rubbing his ears after getting her fill and gigged.  
  
"Thair so soft!" She squeled happily. He flattened his ears against his head and closed his eyes.  
  
"And thair sensitive! Don't scream in them!" He told her angrilly opening his eyes and pulling his ears back up. She smiled sheepishly  
  
"Sorry." She apologised, walking behind him and picking up a pinecone that had fallen out of the tree when he fell out as well. She turned around and grinned.   
  
"Since you threw the ball into the village we can use this instead." She said. He looked guilty. "But it's not a problem!"   
  
She quickly turned and threw the cone to Sango, who caught it easily. She grinned and ran as Kagome happily chased her, giggling and laughing. Inuyasha stood there, confused. He'd never played many games like this before and didn't quite know what to do. Kagome, sensing his distress looked over her shoulder as she chased her friend.  
  
"Try and take it from Sango!" Was all she said.  
  
Inuyasha just watched, then finnaly getting the point, bagan to run after them as well. It didn't take him long to get the hang of it. It was actually fun! He soon began laughing and giggling along with them. He took a leap at Sango, but because of her demon hunting abilitys she easily dodged him. She ran away, giggling with playful malace.  
  
"Ha! No one will ever catch me!" She called as Kagome tried to keep up with her. Inuyasha ran after them, grinning from little furry ear to little furry ear. He had a strange, sudden feeling in his chest at that moment. It felt strangely tingly, and made him feel happy. 'So this is what fun feels like...' He mused to himself Narrowly missing Sango.   
  
All day long the girls, Inuyasha, and Kohaku, played all different kinds of games. Hide and seek, tag, freeze tag, and even some games Inuyasha usually occupied himself with. They found those games to be the most fun with more than one person playing. It was pretty comical when Sango had jumped out of a bush, and scared Inuyasha into jumping five feet into the air, literally. They had been playing a sneeking game Inuyasha liked to play. And he, being the nice guy that he is, had let Kohaku sneek up to him in that particular game. When he reached him, he suddenly latched onto his ears and wouldn't let go. Kagome and Sango had been rolling on the ground in laughter.  
  
Inuyasha had never felt this way before. He had never gotten the chance to play with other kids, because they either pushed him away or ran screaming in fear. Sango and Kagome actually trusted him around them. They weren't frightened of him and Kagome even stood up for him. What also came as a surprise, was that they had allowed him to play around Kohaku, at his young age, and didn't mind at all. He could actually have friends, for the first time in his life, that possibility sounded real.   
  
Soon, the sun began to set and the warm rays of the light dimmed slowly. Kagome, who had been resting by the tree, looked up at the sky and glared. She looked back at her friends with an apologetic look and sighed.  
  
"I have to go back to being stuck up..." She said sadly, standing up as slowly as she possibly could. Inuyasha, who was sitting on a low branch in the tree, looked at her quizzicotaly.  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked confused, jumping down to the ground and landing gracefully. Kagome looked surprised at the hight he had jumped, but brushed it off with a shrug..  
  
"I'm a princess." She said dryly, as if it were annoying. His eyes widened and he backed up a bit, suddenly bowing politely.  
  
"W-why would someone like you wanna be near someone like me?" He asked nervously avoiding her eyes. She put her hands on her hips and gave him an annoyed look..  
  
"You don't have to bow to me Inuyasha!" She said and he straghitened, slightly confused. "I don't like it when people are so formal. So when we're alone, you don't have to bow to me. I like people like you. And I hate those jerks in court." She said with a smile. She stood back and waved happily. "I'll see you again soon! Bye!" She said, running up the pathway through the village and into the castle. Sango looked at him from her place by the tree trunk and got up. She stood in front of him and smiled..  
  
"I have to go too. Come and play with us again!" With that, she ran back to the village. Inuyasha looked after the two girls, a true smile growing on his lips. He had done it....he had finnaly made friends....and he wasn't alone anymore.  
  
*~^~*  
  
Kagome ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She had a lot to write in her diary after dinner, and there were those geusts coming tonight. She entered the gates to the castle, sped strait up the stairs, and into the large mahogany doors that led inside. Her mother would be by her room any second to get her ready for dinner. She ran through the twisting corridors and finnally made it to her room, thanking the heavans for looking out for her tonight. She quickly changed out of her village kimono and into a bright green night dress just as her mother walked in. She looked at her doughter and frowned dissaprovingly.  
  
"Kagome, how many times have I told you to at least try and stay clean when you go play?" She said exaspirated. Kagome grinned sheepishly. She was covered from head to toe in dirt, smudging her face and her hands mostly. Her mother sighed, and shook her head pulling her into the bathroom, cleaned her up and doing her hair. She put her hair in a tight formal braid that reached to her lower back. Giving Kagome her hand she led her out of the room and into hers, just three rooms over. Once inside, she went up to a drawer and pulled out a white dress. She took Kagome over to a small mirror and fitted it on her.  
  
"I just got that dress, Kagome dear so please try not to stain it." Her mother told her. Kagome sighed and nodded. She went through this EVERY night! It got tireing after a while. Her mother walked out the door, and motioned for her to follow. She did, and they walked down the corridor next to each other. Her mother turned to her after a short while and smiled.  
  
"So, Kagome dear did you have fun with Sango?" She asked. Kagome looked up at her and grinned widely.  
  
"Yup! I also made a new friend!"   
  
Her mother smiled at her kindly. "Well then, tell me about her." Kagome's grin got wider.  
  
"It's a him. The boys in the village were pushing him around and I banished them from the place where we play all the time. He looked surprised when I asked him to play with us. He told me that no one had ever asked him to play before." She told her mother with a sypathetic expression. She would left out the part about him being a half-demon. Her mother smiled warmly.  
  
"Well, it's good that you made him feel like he belonged." She said. Kagome smiled up at her. Her mother looked ahead of them, they were nearing the dinner hall. She could tell because, everything got extreamly formal around this place, and ahead, were two wooden door. Stopping at the large doors her mother turned to her. "Now Kagome I want you to use the accent and, proper language. We're having a guest tonight." She instructed. Kagome sighed, but nodded.. Her mother smiled a bit, and pushed open the heavy oaken doors. They walked in slowly and formally, almost making Kagome glare at the walls in frustration.   
  
But soon, they came out of the low rise and into a larger part of the dinning hall. She smiled at the room. It was her absolute favorite out of all the rooms in the castle because of it's beauty. Above, huge crystal chandalier's hung on the cieling,illuminating the hall in a welcoming light. It made the marble floors glow with an angelic light, also adding to the welcoming look. The pillars that held the room up, were of the whitest stone, and painted with Sakura trees and gorgious flowers fluttering from the branches of the small trees. The cieling above the chiandeliears was painted in a beautiful mural. It was the mural of the Shikon no Tama, her favorite legend. Just everything about this room made her smile.  
  
Together, Kagome and her mother walked gracefully up the stairs at the end of the room and to a large platform with a gigantic oak banquet table with hundreds of mouth watering dishes on top. Kagome sighed as she noticed all the stiffness she just put out was seen by no one but the servents bringing in the food and refreshments. She gave that thought up and stared at all of the different delacacies silently hoping they were having oden. She walked up to the table and sat in her chair near her mother, and waited as patiently as she could, figiting a bit.   
  
She and her mother were not allowed to eat untill her father started. He was the king after all and it was polite manners to do so. She inwardly groaned at her fathers tardiness, but pirked almost noticably wher her father finnaly walked in from the council room, and sat down, followed by a few other nobles; some of which were noble wolf demons and a young demon boy from the South. Some noble demons were lords, such as lord Kaiyuki, the king of the South.   
  
Lord Kaiyuki was here to speak to her father about something importent. The wolf demons ruled the South, and wanted to join with thair side, and maybe help ease the tension here from the constent treats of the North. The lord of the North was very devious in his power. Lord Onigumo had wanted her fathers kingdom for quite some time now because of how prosperous it had become. He was a threat to all of the reagons but the West. The West had, grudgingly joined his side.   
  
The West was full of dog demons. Some were very strong and noble in thair deeds, yet others were evil and ruthless. Just like the humans. Wolves, unlike dogs, usually attacked when provoked. Dogs attacked without warning, which made them quite dangerous. The true lord of the West had died quite some time ago. Now the West was ruled by Sesshoumaru, untill the true heir could be found.   
  
The true heir had dissapeared from the clans after his father died, leaving the West in Sesshoumaru's cold paws. He treated them fairly, or so she heard. But he had joined Onigumo, which confused and worried many. Her father, along with the South, were quite worried about the situation. So they came to council tonight to discuss the matters.  
  
Her father was lord of the East, the humans land. Onigumo's terratory was made for any kind of demon, but humans were captured as slaves, deispite the fact that thair own lord was also human. She dispised that. And she dispised the North.  
  
The nobles took thair seats, leaving the boy one place to sit; next to her. Kagome stared at him for a minute. He had black hair in a high ponytail with pure bright blue eyes. He looked at her and smiled, walking over to the seat next to her, since it was the only one left. He sat down and looked at her father, to await when he was alowed to eat and speak. Her father sat down king style, formaly, throwing his cape out behind him and sitting down gracefully. To be honest, she thought it was really funny. He waved for them to start eating and Kagome quickly dug in; but politely of course. She felt a tap on he shoulder after a short while, and turned to see the demon boy smiling at her.  
  
"Hi! I'm Kouga!" He introduced himself. Kagome swallowed her food and smiled.  
  
"I'm Kagome. Whay are you here? My father doesn't usually let any kids other than me and my brother into the dinning room at dinner." She asked formaly, remembering her mannors. He looked thoughtful for a minute.  
  
"You're father invited me himself." He said after a while. Kagome smiled, but inside she cringed. 'Did he have to think of an answer? What a blockhead.'   
  
"Thats good." She said returning to eating. She was about to eat a roll when another tap on her shoulder diverted her attention again. She looked at Kouga. "Yes?"  
  
"Do you want to play with me after dinner?" He asked with a grin on his face. Kagome shook her head sighing and looking at him apologeticaly.  
  
"Sorry I can't. I go to sleep after dinner." She told him, then returned to eating. She finished her roll and was about to go for the soup, when another tap diverted her from eating. "Yes?" She asked a little irritated. He smiled.  
  
"What about tomorrow? I'm staying the night here." He told her with the same grin plastered on his face.   
  
"Sorry but I've planned to go to the village and play with my friends tomorrow." She told him a little annoyed, and once again went back to eating. Her father and mother were talking about kingdom stuff that she didn't need to understand until she was queen. She thought it frankly quite boring. They always talked about that kind of stuff. She managed to eat like a proper princess even though she was starving, and remembered to use her accent and the proper language for once. She had gotten through half of her meal without being interupted again, before Kouga tapped her again. She narrowed her eyes and turned to him.  
  
"What?" She asked with a hiss, forgetting her mannors for a second but quickly righting it. "Yes?" She took a quick sip of her juice. He smiled at her, totally missing her tone.  
  
"Will you marry me?"   
  
Kagome sputtered the juice she was drinking and glared at him dangerously. Her expression quickly changed ans she turned to her mother. Standing up, and bowing politely, she smiled and asked, "Mother, may I go with Kouga to my bedroom to have a friendly chat?" She relayed formaly. Her mother smiled happily for her use of mannors.  
  
"Of course dear." She replied, turning back to her father and continuing the discussion.  
  
Kagome bowed politely again, and dragged a grinning Kouga out of his chair by the ear. She smirked evilly as they crossed the huge ball room and went through the oaken doors that led to the main corridor her mother and her had walked through. She dragged him all the way to her room and opened the door, pushing him inside. She walked in herself and closed the door locking it behind her. He turned to her and smirked. She slowly turned around and smiled dangerously. His grin faltered.   
  
"Well let me tell you my dicision, LORD Kouga..." She said and walked up to him like a predetr after his prey.  
  
All that could be heard from the castle that night was the high pitched screem of a girly voice and the evil laughter from something even worse...  
  
*~^~* 


	2. An Inturesting Game

A/N:Chap 2 is up. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any related cheractors.  
  
Chapter II  
  
An Inturesting Game  
  
*~^~*  
  
Inuyasha woke the next morning to a horses whinny as it walked up the street leading to the castle. He stared after it from his tree and cocked his head. 'Is that a messenger?' He mused quietly. He looked after the horse as it traveled up the road. Suddenly he heard a shout from below him.  
  
"Hey Inuyasha!" A voice called. He looked down and raised his eyebrow.  
  
"Sango? What are you doing here?" He asked surprised. She smiled up at him. She was with her little brother Kohaku who was staring up at him as if he were an elephant in a tree.  
  
"Were going to Kagome's castle today to play! You wanna come with us?" She asked. He stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"R-really?" He asked. She nodded. He grinned and jumped from the branch, landing in front of her. "Sure!" He replied. She giggled and pointed to his ears.  
  
"You're gonna have to hide those though." She told him. He turned his eyes up as if he could see his ears and twitched them.  
  
"I have a disguise I can use." He told her, looking back down.  
  
"Then you better use it. They don't allow other youkai besides lords to go into the castle." She explained. He nodded and closed his eyes. When he opened them he no longer had his dog ears, or claws. He still had the rest of his youkai attributes though. Sango smiled and grabbed her little brothers hand.  
  
"Come on! Let's go!" She cried happily and ran off towards the castle. Inuyasha followed her at a slower pace, somewhat nervous. He had never been in a village before, but he had been in a castle. He stared at all the people in the streets selling food and other things.   
  
Sango suddenly ran into a shop near the entrance to the village, and dissappeared with her brother. His eyes widend and he ran into the shop as well. It was one of the few permanite shops in the area. It was made of hard stone and had a low flat roof. It was dark inside, the only light coming from the fernice in the back of the place. He looked around and noticed hundreads of weapons on the walls. There were shields, swords, armor, and other things of the like. He stared dumbly at them all, then noticed the strange scent coming off of the weapons. His eyes widened and his mouth hit the floor.  
  
"T-these are weapons made of parts of youkai!" He exclaimed in awe. He looked around again, and took a tentitive step foreward. The he hesitated, thinking to himself. 'Did Sango lead me here deliberatly?' He asked himself. 'It sure looks like it...why did she bring me here?' Suddenly something grabbed the back of his haori, and he stiffend and spun around. It was Sango and she was giggling her head off.   
  
"You...haha...should have seen...hehe...you're face when you came in here!" She exclaimed laughing out loud. He glared at her.  
  
"HEY! That's not funny! I didn't know they made weapons out of youkai parts!" He defended himself. She smiled and pointed behind him.  
  
"This is my family's business. We sell weapons made of youkai parts. They turn out to be stronger than regular weapons." She explained. He stared at her, then nodded slowly. "I wanted to show you before we went to Kagome's place." She said, with a humorous smile. Then she turned on her heel and dashed off to Kagome's castle. Inuyasha quickly followed her. He didn't like this shop...   
  
Inuyasha followed Sango through the village staring at the people once more. There was a guy selling rugs, a guy selling some wird smelling vegitabale's, a woman selling rings, an old lady selling shawls and herbs, there were people selling everything here! He gaped at all of the things he saw here. There was everything he'd seen in his short lifetime on this earth and more. Then he saw another old lady. This one was also selling shawls and herbs, but she was also offering archery. He stopped and stared at her for a moment. She also stared at him. Suddenly she smiled and beckened him closer.  
  
"Come child, I will not bite." She said, motioning for him to come over. He looked around for Sango to tell her he was going to see what this old woman wanted, but she wasn't in site. He looked around a little more, before hesitently walking up to the womans shop. The shop looked like an old merchents shop, hastily put up and made of wood. It had a small roof that was just big enough to keep the rain off of the merchindise and the seller. It had a wooden pole on the left and right side to keep the roof risen, with a slab of wood in the middle acting like a counter.  
  
The woman smiled welcomingly and leaned over the counter to her shop.  
  
"Hello young one, my name is Kaede the village priestess." She introduced herself. "Who are you?"   
  
He stared at her blankly for a minute, deciding weather or not to tell. He did look like a human so she wouldn't make fun of his name....would she?  
  
"I-Inuyasha..." He stuttered out. Her smile widend.  
  
"Ah, lord Inutaisho's son huh?" She asked. His eyes widend.  
  
"H-how did you know?" He asked nevously ready to run if she showed the slightest sign if hostillity. She smiled again.  
  
"I knew you're father. I was very good friends with him. I am also a Miko, so I could sense you're youki. Tell me, how is you're father and his lovely queen?" She asked. Inuyasha lowered his gaze and his expression hardend.  
  
"Mom and Dad were killed." He said calmly, with no hint of any emotion in his voice. Kaede's smile slid off her face quickly and was replaced with a sympathetic expression.   
  
"I am sorry to hear that..." She said sadly. "They were good friends to me." Suddenly Inuyasha's head shot up and he glared at her with firey hatered in his eyes.  
  
"I don't need you're sympathy!" He snapped angrilly. "I don't need anyone's sympathy!" He shouted, closing his eyes and running after Sango's scent without another word. The elderly Miko Smiled after him sadly.  
  
"He sure has his father's temper..." She mused to herself.  
  
Meanwhile Sango was searching the village franticaly for the young silver haired hanyou. She ran out of one shop and into another, cursing herself.  
  
"Ahh! Kagome's gonna roast me if I don't find him! She really wanted to play with him again!" She said as she ran out of that shop and into another. "INUYASHA!" She called as she reached the middle of the village. She stopped in the center where there was a circle of stones like in the middle of a city square. She put her hands on her knees and regained her breath. She stood strait and cupped her mouth.  
  
"INU-YA-SHAAAAAAAAA!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the square glared at her and slapped thair hands over thair ears. But when they saw her, they shrugged and went back to thair business. Sango was netorious for desturbing the peace... She held her hands up to her chest and looked around worriedly.  
  
"Where is he..." She asked worriedly. Then she heard a voice.  
  
"GEEZ! Do you're lungs EVER explode?! I didn't think anyone had a voice that loud!"   
  
Sango turned around and sighed in releif.  
  
"I thought someone took you... Oh and Kagome has a MUCH louder voice than I do!" She said grinning. "Believe me, someone like you would NOT want to get her to scream like that." She said cheerfully. He twitched one of his snowy white dog ears at the thought of a scream louder than that one. Just the thought of it made him cringe. Sango grinned at him and turned towards the castle once again. "Come on! Kagome really wants to see you again!" She said as she grabbed Kohaku's hand again and walked off, this time watching to make sure Inuyasha didn't get lost. Inuyasha sighed and followed her, thankful for her slow pace.  
  
*~^~*  
  
Kagome stared out the window to her room, scanning the grounds for Sango and Inuyasha. Sango had come earlier to play, and because she wasn't alowed outside because of her behavier to the wolf prince Kouga, Kagome had sent Sango out to get Inuyasha. He had looked so lonely yesterday when those boys pushed him around she wanted to make him smile and have fun more often. He was a really fun boy to play with, not like those other boys who thought she was too weak to play games with them. He seemed really shy before he got to having fun.   
  
She frowned at the thought. Inuyasha was a hanyou...maybe he was afraid he'd hurt them with his streangth. She shook her head. Inuyasha would never hurt her or her friends. He was too nice. Suddenly she heard a very familuer voice from the village below and grinned.  
  
"INU-YA-SHAAAAAAAAA!!"  
  
Yup. It was a good thing she taught Sango how to scream that loud. But it wasn't a good thing to her parents. They said it was unladylike, and she should only scream if she was in danger and call the gaurds. She quite frankly thought that was boring. She stood and walked away from her window. Sango would be arriving soon with her new friend. She had told the guards to let Sango and the young hanyou boy pass. She grinned at the surprise she held up her sleave for her friends. They would love it! She hoped Inuyasha would too.   
  
She changed out of her pink kimono and into a bright blue one. It was her favorite of all the kimono's she had. It had been given to her by a strange youkai lord, when she was four. It was too big for her then but it was the perfect size now.   
  
He was a strange man, veiled in a white robe that hid his face and attributes. He had been talking to her father about something, she couldn't understand.   
  
*~^~*Flashback*~^~*  
  
A man came out of the throne room looking annoyed but pleased. She had been sitting on the floor trying to decipher a book she was reading. She had been told to try and read it...not that it helped. The man spotted her and she could see him smile softly behind the viel. He walked up to her and looked down. She stared up at him with her cobalt orbs in amazement. He was tall...  
  
He knelt down in front of her and smiled. She smiled back at him and giggled. He chuckled and ruffled her hair stareing her in the eye. She would never forget that man's eyes, so beautiful. His eyes were the deepest color of gold she would ever see. If she stared into his eyes long enough she could see his emotions floating in the endless pools of molten gold. She stared at his eyes untill he began to speak.  
  
"Hello there, you must be princess Kagome." He said in an amused tone. She broke his eye contact and grinned at him, nodding her head enthosiasticly. He chuckled and his eyes took on a shade of amusement. "I hear that you're turning four today." He said. She smiled up at him.  
  
"Yup yup. I'm turning four!" She said, holding up two fingers grinning. He chuckled again and pulled up two more of her fingers with gloved hands.   
  
"That's four." He said. She stared at her fingers in awe. Then grinned again showing him her four fingers.  
  
"Four!" She giggled. He smiled at her, then dug into his robes.  
  
"Here, I can give you this, but you'll have to grow into it." He said pulling out something blue, and handing it to her. She stared at it and took it from him. She unfolded it and held it up before her. She grinned and talked to the man through the kimono.   
  
"Wow...it's so pretty!" She said happily. He smiled at her. She put the kimono down and folded it the best a four year old could, with her toungue stiking out in concentration. He chuckled and took it from her, folding it neatly. He handed it back to her and stood. She stood as well, and smiled. She walked up to his leg and hugged it.   
  
"Thank you! I really like it!" She exclaimed with a giggle. He bent down and patted her head.  
  
"Take good care of it alright?" He told her, then walked towards the door. She waved.  
  
"Bye bye mister!" She called after him.  
  
*~^~*End Flashback*~^~*  
  
Kagome was brought out of her reminesing by a scream downstaires. She quickly finished getting dressed and ran out of her room, skidding on the tile floors as she sped toward the stairs. She didn't have any shoes on so she went a little faster.  
  
Once she grabbed the railing that connected to the stairs and went around the whole second floor, and peered down at the second floor. She then grinned so wide her face could have broken in two.   
  
Sango had finally made it back with Inuyasha and had probly been running to get up the stairs, because she was now shouting at prince Kouga for getting in her way and making her fall. He was glarng at her, but otherwise said nothing. Inuyasha was standing by the stairs staring at them with an annoyed expression. Kagome quickly ran from the balconey and down the stairs.  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha! Sango! You're here! Finally!" She called hapilley as she reached the tile floor. She ran up to Inuyasha and smiled brightly at him. "I'm so glad you came!" She said. Inuyasha gave her a lopsided smile. She looked over to Sango who looked about ready to kill the prince. She walked over to her and put her hand on her shoulder.   
  
"Sango calm down! If you hurt him you won't be able to come to the castle anymore. I already told you what I did to him." Kagome warned her. Slowly but surely Sango calmed down. She glared at Kouga one more time before walking past Inuyasha and up the stairs. Kohaku stared after her, then looked around. Kagome looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Come on Kohaku, let's go find Souta." She said taking his hand. He looked up at her and smiled his thanks. Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Come on Inuyasha. You can meet my little brother too." She said, then walked up the stairs helping Kohaku along. Inuyasha walked behind her as she slowly helped the six year old climb the stairs one, by one. He growled in annoyence and picked the boy up. Kagome was startled at first, but then smiled when Inuyasha put Kohaku on his shoulders.   
  
"Whare's you're brothers room?" He asked. She looked up the staires then back at him.  
  
"Ano...it's kinda hard to get there with spoken directions." She told him sheepishly. "So I'll lead you there."   
  
He stared at her, then shook his head. "I can get us there faster." He told her. She looked at him quizzicotaly.  
  
"How?" She asked. He smirked.  
  
"Just get on my back and I'll show you." He said, crouching down so she could reach his back. She stared at him blankly. He growled when she didn't respond. "I won't let you fall, I promise."   
  
She still looked a little hesitent, but got on anyway. He grabbed underneath her legs and held her tight. She wrapped her arms around Kohaku and leaned into his back. He held her tighter, and jumped into the air high above the balconey. Kagome squeeked and held on tighter. He landed on the huge chandalier in the middle of the roof and balanced himself.   
  
Kouga stood up and glared at the hanyou boy, growling.   
  
"Hey! Get back down here dog breath!" He shouted. Inuyasha glared at him.  
  
"What did you just call me!?" He shouted back angrily. Kagome peered over his shoulder.  
  
"Kouga, leave him alone!" She shouted down. He looked at her surprised. Suddenly, someone called his name and he turned to look whare the voice had come from. He must have seen something, and turned back to Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kohaku.  
  
"I'll be back!" He shouted, then walked towards the voice. Kagome sighed in relief. Inuyasha turned and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"You know that wimpy wolf?" He asked. She sighed and nodded.  
  
"Unfortunatly yes. He's a prince from the east. He's not that bad as a friend, but I'm only ten and he already asked to marry me!" She said exaspirated. Inuyasha turned back ahead and jumped off the chandalier.   
  
"Keh! What an idiot. I hate wolves." He said as he landed. He now stood on the balconey above the first floor. Looking around he turned his head to Kagome once again. "Which way?" He asked. Kagome pointed to the right, and he sped off. Kagome'eeped' and held onto his shoulders around Kohaku as tight as she could. Inuyasha smirked and ran faster. Suddenly he skidded to a halt by an intersection, and tuned to her again.   
  
"Which way now?" He asked. Kagome pointed shakily to her left and said,  
  
"T-the last door on the right." She said shakily. He grinned and sped off at top speed. Kagome squeeked and held on as if her life depended on it. Kohaku was laughing and giggling as his hair blew behind him. They passed the doors in record time and stopped abrouptly in front of the last one. Inuyassha leaned down and let Kagome climb off with Kohaku. He turned to her and found that she was laughing along with the little boy, which confused him. Wasn't she scared?   
  
"That was so much fun!" She giggled. She looked at him and smiled brightly. For some reason that made him feel good... She took Kohaku's hand and led him into the room in front of them. Inuyasha followed closely behind.   
  
There was a little boy sitting in the large room, playing with some speacially made wooden knights and horses. When they entered he looked up from his game and stared at the intruders. He suddenly smiled brightly and stood up walking over to Kagome and Kohaku. He stood in front of them and smiled up at Kagome.  
  
"Thanks for binging Kohaku nee-chan." He said politely. Kagome mentally cringed at the royal tone, but smiled at him. Kohaku let go of her hand and walked up to the little boy. Kagome motioned for Inuyasha to come closer, and he did. The little boy noticed him and laid, huge innocent eyes on him in amazement. Inuyasha fidgeted a bit under the boys gaze.   
  
"Souta, this is Inuyasha. He's Sango and my new friend." She introduced him. Souta smiled and walked up to Inuyasha. He stared up at him with those innocent eyes again. Inuyasha fidgited some more and growled.   
  
"What?" He asked gruffly. Souta suddenly grinned.   
  
"You look neat!" He said. Inuyasha blushed and turned away with a 'keh'. Kagome smiled again and grabbed Inuyasha's hand pulling him out the door while calling over her shoulder.  
  
"Souta! You can tell Kohaku what we're going to do tonight but not Sango!"   
  
He smiled and nodded.   
  
Kagome closed the door and turned to Inuyasha grinning. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What are you planning?" He asked slowly. Her grin only widened.  
  
"It's a surprise for you and Sango." She told him. He cocked his head. "But...we have to go on a small mission to get what we need for it, and I need Sango and you to help me get it." She said, happily. He looked at her suspiciously. He hadn't put his full trust in her yet, and was going to make sure she wouldn't betray him.  
  
"What exactly are we going to get?" He asked. Kagome fidgeted with her hands behind her back and smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Um.....We're gonna....kinda....raid Kouga's room?" She said with a small nervous shrug. Suddenly he grinned.  
  
"Oh okay! I wouldn't mind doing that!" He replied mischeaviously. Kagome stared at him for a second before smileing once again and turning around. Inuyasha looked surprised. "Hey! Where'er you goin?!" He asked. She tuned and faced him.  
  
"To my room where Sango is." She said. He snorted.  
  
"You know you can always ask for a ride if you want to." He said gruffly, turning his head away from her. Kagome could have sworn she saw a light pink on his cheeks... She smiled again and nodded. He crouched down once again and she slipped on. Putting his hands under her knees he stood up as if Kagome wasn't even there. Kagome smiled at the back of his head.  
  
"You're really strong!" She said giggling. He blushed, but she couldn't see it from her vantige point, which he was grateful for. Her lifted his nose and sniffed the air slowly, sorting out Kagome's scent. Kagome looked around nervously. If anyone saw him doing that they might get suspiscious. Plus she was riding on his back, which would probly give her mother a heart attack if she came around the corner and saw her like this.   
  
Inuyasha found her scent trail and started running towards it. As he passed the entersection he sped up and ran almost top speed the rest of the way. Kagome was laughing the whole way. He couldn't help but smile at her antics. They made it to the room faster than any human could have, and Kagome couldn't stop laughing. Inuyasha let her down gently, and soon her giggles subsided. She looked up at him, once she had stopped laughing and grinned.  
  
"That was so much fun! I should have met you when I was younger!" She said giggling. Inuyasha smiled. She walked over to her bedroom door, and pushed it open, inviting him in. He complied.  
  
Sango was there, sitting on Kagome's bed and glaring at the wall. When Kagome walked in she turned to her and scowled.  
  
"Boy's are idiots!" She said angrily. Kagome giggled. Inuyasha growled.  
  
"Hey! I'm a boy!" He said defensively. Sango looked at him then grinned.  
  
"You're the only boy who's not an idiot!" She said. "You don't ask people to marry you as soon as you meet them!"  
  
Inuyasha blanched, and blushed a deep red. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned his nose in the air with a 'keh'. Kagome giggled. Inuyasha looked at her for a moment. She was really excited today... But he didn't know if she was like this every day or only today. She walked over to her bed and plopped herself down next to Sango and grinned.  
  
"I have a surprise for you two!" She said happily. Inuyasha and Sango looked at her expectantly. She shook her head and grinned again. "I'm not gonna tell you till we get what we need from Kouga's room." She told them. Inuyasha sighed.  
  
"What do we have to get?" He asked. He was somewhat hoping it was valuable.  
  
"You'll see!" She grinned, and began dragging them down the hall.  
  
*~^~*  
  
A/N: YAY!!! I've fin chappie 2!! ^_^ I think I'll stop putting the bottom note on....Okay then, from now on there will be no bottom note to my fics!  
  
Ja ne!  
  
Love,   
  
*~*~*  
  
Inugirl 


	3. The Ball

A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING!! It was school! I was getting murdered with homework! Since I'm putting SS off for a bit, I should update my other stories more frequently. This one's got a bit of humor and fluff in it. Enjoy! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: Dang these things are getting annoying.....I don't own Inuyasha and co.  
  
Chapter III  
  
The Ball  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
Now, Inuyasha had been in a castle before, oh yes. He was the hier of the Western Lands, and could remember fuzzy details about the castle he used to live in. But this place....wow. It was the most luxurious place he had ever seen. He couldn't remember much about the other castle, but just looking at the walls he could tell this palace like place took years to finish building. He turned to Kagome, who was walking steadily ahead of him. He did not betray any of his emotions through his face or body movements. He'd learned to control that long ago.  
  
"Are we there yet?" He asked impatiently. He scowled as she turned around.  
  
"We're almost there, Inuyasha." She sighed, turning back around. "You could be a little more patient." She muttered as an after thought. He twitched his ears and growled when he heard her.  
  
"Who can be patient with you humans goin' so slow." He said closing his eyes and snorting. Kagome stopped at a door and turned to them with a smile, as if she hadn't heard his comment.  
  
"We're here!" She said happily. Turning to the door she put her finger to her lips, silently telling them to be quiet. They complied, and she eased the door open quietly after checking if anyone was around. "You guys make sure no one is coming." She whispered to them. Inuyasha lifted his nose to the air and sniffed a couple of times. Lowering his head he shook it; telling them no one was there. She smiled and walked into the room quietly.  
  
It wasn't very luxurious, at least not like her room. But none of the rooms in the castle were like hers. The walls were a light magenta, which she giggled at. The guests here were allowed to pick their own rooms. And Kouga seemed to pick the girliest room. The floor was a little darker than the walls, but still the same color. In the middle of the room was a small four poster bed, smaller than the others because he was a child, with matching sheets and blankets that went along with the walls and carpeting. On the right side of it, was a small room, much too small to even occupy a fox demon. Inside was clothing, all boys clothing.   
  
She grinned and walked over, finding what she was looking for. She searched through the mountains of formal wear and nightclothes to find the perfect one. Pulling back one of the uglier formal ball suites, she found it. It was red, with gold trim and if you held it in the right light, it would shine and light up the walls. She grinned as she pulled it out, hugging it to her chest. Making sure no one was around, she began to walk out of the room. Just then, a shout from outside warned her.   
  
"Kagome! Inuyasha says Kouga's coming! Get out before he gets here!" Sango called. She picked up her pace and ran out of the room, stopping next to Inuyasha, who was standing to the right of the door. He looked at the garment she held in her hands curiously.   
  
"What's that?" He asked, checking to see if it had a scent. It had Kouga's scent all over it, and he held his breath. He hated the scent of wolves.   
  
"You'll see when we get back to my room." She said looking up at him. "Can you carry me back?" She asked. He raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Crouching down he allowed her to climb onto his back, making sure she didn't slip. Once she was on, he put his hands beneath her knees and adjusted her so she was comfortable. Before he had a chance to ask if she was ready, there was a shout from behind them.  
  
"Hey! Dog turd, let my woman go!" Kouga shouted angrily, running towards them. That made Inuyasha angry. That wolf had no right to call her his when he'd only known her for a day. Plus, she was very young for a human and shouldn't be messing with those things yet. He let out a growl as he turned to face him, baring razor sharp fangs.  
  
"Who says she's your's!" He snarled angrily. Kagome sweatdropped. 'Their only twelve years old and already their fighting over a girl.' She sighed and whispered in his ear, which flicked when her breath touched it; she had to surpress a giggle.  
  
"Get to my room." She said quietly. Kouga probably heard it because he snarled after she looked over Inuyasha's shoulder. He nodded and grabbed Sango's hand, throwing her on his back as well, and dropping to all fours. Kagome squeaked at the change in position.  
  
"W-what are you doing?!" She asked. Inuyasha ran off as Kouga picked up his speed. He looked at her from the corner of his eye.  
  
"I go faster this way." He told her, speeding up. She squeaked again and held on tightly, burying her face in his haori. Kouga snarled, trying to keep pace with the young half-demon. To his surprise, the half-breed was pretty quick, but he was a wolf! In no way whatsoever would he allow a half-breed to outdo him in running. He wouldn't be humiliated again. He picked up his speed once again and managed to get neck to neck with the half-demon.   
  
Inuyasha growled his frustration. He had to loose the wolf before they got to Kagome's room, or else he would just destroy the door and get her anyway. He searched the narrow hallway for a door or staircase he could take to get to the roof, or maybe even outside. His search was a success when he skidded a turn to a large staircase, quickly bounding up the steps. The unexpected turn caused Kouga to miss the exit and run a little further ahead. Realizing his mistake quickly, he turned and sped back to the stairs, quickly climbing them. But his short detour had given Inuyasha a small advantage, and left him cursing under his breath.  
  
Kagome, finally getting over her initial shock at riding a dog demon, or half dog demon, raised her head from the haori's fabric and grinned at the quick speed. The adrenaline racing through her veins excited her and she started laughing.  
  
"This is so much fun!" She called to the bounding half-demon. He gave her a one sided look, before turning back to the stairs ahead of them. If he could get to the top of the castle, the wind would blow their scents every which way and it would be incredibly difficult to find them. Thinking of something he craned his neck to look at Kagome out of the corner of his eye.   
  
"What does this thing lead to?" He asked, jumping over a broken step. She looked thoughtful for a minute.  
  
"I think it leads to the roof. Why?" She told him. He just nodded and turned forward again, ignoring her question. Sure enough, just after she said that, they reached the rooftop. Inuyasha jumped out of the staircase and ran over to the right side of the castle. The roof of this castle was huge; probably 1/3 of a mile long. In the middle of it was a huge court yard, and out of that was a gigantic crystal blade, that glowed in the sun. It reached about 70 to 80 feet higher than the castle walls. This was the Eastern lands mascot.((A/N: Okay, if you've ever played the game for PS1 Final Fantasy 9/IX that's what the castle looks like. I will be using some of the principals from this game, like the airships and some of the moderate modern things, such as electricity and steam powered airships. No T.V.'s, telephones, or any high tech things. If you ever get the chance, you should check this game out. If you have any questions about it, feel free to IM, E-mail, or ask me in a review. I could also give help if you're stuck somewhere in it ^_^ Sorry for the interruption please continue.))  
  
It didn't take them long to reach the East wall, considering how far it was. Once he stood at the edge, maybe 500 to 700 feet off the ground, Kouga lept out of the staircase. He couldn't see Inuyasha directly because the half-demon was standing behind the crystal blade, nor could he find their scents. Inuyasha's plan to come to the roof where his, and the girls scents would be quickly blown away worked, and very well.   
  
He chuckled to himself as he hid behind the blade. Kouga was trying hardest to sniff them out, running everywhere and sniffing every corner. Kagome and Sango climbed off of his back and stood on either side of him, grinning at Kouga's antics.  
  
"He'll never find us now." Kagome whispered quietly into his ear, which flicked at her breath, once again. Kouga couldn't hear her over the roaring wind on the roof. He nodded, grinning as well; then he felt something on his shoulder. Looking over, he froze; Kagome had touched his shoulder, while trying to get a better look at Kouga. He hated being touched, because anyone who had touched him before was either to hurt him or throw him out of their village. But her touch didn't effect him at all, so slowly he relaxed, and went back to watching Kouga.  
  
After a while of futile searching, Kouga gave up and went back inside the castle, sulking miserably. Inuyasha grinned and stepped out from behind the blade when he was inside.   
  
"Well, he's gone now. What do you wanna do with that shirt? It smells too much like that wimpy wolf." He said with a snort. Kagome grinned at him.  
  
"You'll just have to see when we get back to my room!" She said happily. He grumbled and crouched down on the ground, allowing the girls to climb on his back once again. Once they were positioned comfortably, he lept off in the opposite direction of the stairway, causing Kagome to stare ahead in shock. "W-Where are you going!?" She shouted at him as they passed the stairway. He just grinned and sped up--strait for the edge of the castle walls.   
  
Kagome shut her eyes tightly as they reached the ledge, squeezing Inuyasha's haori tightly in her hands. Sango was staring at him as if he was crazy, and just as he reached the ledge, she shut her eyes as well. Suddenly, the girls couldn't feel the steady lope of his feet on the stone, and the wind whipping their hair got stronger as it whistled in their ears. Kagome risked opening her eyes for a quick glance, and they snapped open and stared widely at the horizon. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was sparkling in different pastel colors. The purple, orange, yellow, and red colors mixing perfectly with the suns glare. The plains and hills behind that, along with the huge forests that dotted the land were glowing angelically. Her hair flew out behind her like a raven waterfall as it whipped around her face, and she smiled brightly as they flew through the air, as if riding on a floating cloud.  
  
She couldn't see his face, but she could tell that Inuyasha was also smiling. Time seemed to slow down as they flew high in the sky, admiring the beautiful colors. Even Sango had opened her eyes, and was staring at the beautiful horizon. Time then resumed as they fell back towards the earth; but Inuyasha wasn't aiming for the ground. Instead, he twisted in the air, so that he was facing the castle, and pinpointed a balcony. Extending his legs, he landed gracefully in a crouch, still holding the girls securely to his back. He let them off and stood up, turning around and grinning.  
  
"Well? What do you think?" He asked. Kagome grinned again.  
  
"That was SO much fun!" She giggled. Sango agreed.  
  
"I've never been that high before! I've never even been on an airship." She said. Kagome looked at her friend and gave her an apologetic look.  
  
"I'm sorry Sango....I promised you that I would get my father to take you on one of our trips to the other villages around here," She then turned to Inuyasha and smiled, "You could come too! I doubt you've ever been on one! Their so much fun! Especially the big ones." She said excitedly. He just shrugged and turned to the door that lead into the room from the balcony, but Kagome stopped him before he opened it. "Wait! Do you know whose room that is?" She asked. He turned to her and nodded slowly.  
  
"It's your's. You're scent's bathing this place." He told her. She blushed a bit.  
  
"O-okay then. Lets get inside, then I could tell you what I have planed! And only the lords and ladies of the four lands are allowed to come." She said slyly as she walked into her room. Her compainions gave her a curious look, before shaking their heads. Kagome was just too confusing.  
  
They walked into the room, Inuyasha shutting the balcony doors quietly before following them. Kagome set the garment down on her bad and went to her wardrobe. She motioned for them to come over; which they did.   
  
"Sango, which dress do you like best?" She asked stepping back from the doors. Sango looked at her confused a moment before shrugging and began sifting through the dresses. She looked for a few moments before grinning and pulling out a dark fushia one and holding it before her.   
  
"What do you think?" She asked turning slightly. Kagome grinned.  
  
"It's perfect!" She said happily before looking at Inuyasha. "Ok, I want you to find which one of these you like best." She said, pulling out a wooden box and setting it on her bed. She opened it and showed them to him.  
  
"Different scents? Flower scents?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow. She just nodded.  
  
"Which one do you like best?" She asked. He shrugged and lookd over the box, sniffing at the small bottles containing the flower petals. After a short while he pointed to one.  
  
"That one." He said simply. Kagome smiled and picked it up. Taking out the cork that cealed it, she carried it over to the suit and poured the flowers all over it, and began rubbing them around it. Inuyasha looked at her as if she was crazy. "What are you doing?" He asked, curious despite himself. She picked it up and walked over to him, grinning.  
  
"There, now it doesn't smell like Kouga." She said, holding it out in front of her. He cocked his head and sniffed deaply. She was right. The flowers overpowered the wolf scent. He looked at her quizzicotaly.  
  
"Why the heck did you get that thing anyway?" He asked. She looked at him.  
  
"It's for you! You can't go to a ball dressed in that can you?" She asked grinning again. He stared at her, openly gaping. His ears stopped listening after 'go to a ball'. But Sango didn't have the same reaction as him though.  
  
"Oh my god! A ball! I can't believe I'm actually going to a ball!" She said happily bouncing up and down while hugging the dress to her chest. Kagome grinned at them both.  
  
"Yup! It's to honour the wolf demons for helping us out. I don't know what they did, but at least we get to have fun!" She said. Inuyasha was still staring at her in shock. She turned to him and pused the glittering garment into his hands, and began pushing him towards her bathroom. "Now you get dressed in there and don't peak!" She said before shutting the door behind him. "Come on! We've gotta get ready!" She squealed happily, grabbing her silk dress and putting it on.   
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
"I look stupid in this."  
  
"Inuyasha, I told you. You have to wear it to the ball."  
  
"Keh...."  
  
Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sango, sat in the small room as they waited for their turn to go into the ball. Inuyasha complained about his outfit every now and then, and if he wasn't doing that he was either sulking or muttering things under his breath. Kagome was seriously wondering when Sango would snap. After five minutes of Inuyasha's behavior her eye had began twitching. Now she was slightly red in the face and had a scowl on her lips. It was easy to get Sango so irritated, but Inuyasha didn't know that. He'd just have to learn the hard way, which was slightly entertaining. Just when Kagome thought Sango was about to beat Inuyasha into squash, a guard opened the door to her room and stood regally.   
  
"Princess Kagome. You and you're subjects are required to meet at the ball room starit away." He said without batting an eye. Inuyasha flinched at 'you're subjects' and was about to set the guy strait, but Kagome got to him faster; grabbing his sleave and nearly dragging him out of the room, flshing a brief smile at the guard.  
  
"You may return." She said with an accent, flinching slightly at the sound of her own voice. The guard nodded and bowed, before heading in the opposite direction of the ball. Kagome then let go of Inuyasha's sleve and straitend her dress. Inuyasha cocked his head and gave her a funny look.  
  
"What happened?" He asked, refering to her voice and change of attitude. She sighed and looked at him.  
  
"As long as I'm acting like a princess I have to talk that way." She told him, smiling slightly and turning down the corridor. Inuyasha shrugged and followed her, avoiding Sango's gaze. He knew she was a bit irritated with him, but he didn't know why.   
  
They walked around the corridors for a while, going in seemingly meaningless patterns. Left turn there, right turn here, straight down then take a left at the third door. It confused him after a while. He was just about to ask Kagome if she knew where they were going when she stopped at a wooden door. She turned around and grinned.  
  
"I present you, my lord and lady, to the ball!" She said happily, and pushed the doors open. As soon as they could see inside, Sango, and Inuyasha's mouths nearly hit the floor. Inuyasha had never seen so many people crammed in such a huge room in his life!  
  
"I've never seen so many people in one place...." Sango muttered, absently voicing his thoughts. Kagome just grinned and ushered them inside.   
  
"You and I have to introduce Inuyasha to my mother." Kagome said, changing her voice. Sango agreed, and they headed over to the refreshments table. Kagome spotted her mother at the end of it, talking to a noble woman. When she saw her daughter heading towards her she smiled, and looked t the two people following her.  
  
"Ah Kagome dear. Is that the new friend you were telling me about yesterday?" Her mother asked pleaently. Kagome nodded.  
  
"Inuyasha, this is my mother." She said, turning to him.....but he was still gaping at the scenery around him. Her smile slipped a bit and she tapped his shoulder. He spun around and looked at her, calming when he realized who she was. She gave him a pointed look and he cleared his throat, looking up to her mother and smiling a bit.  
  
"Um....hello Miss?" He asked politely, silently grinning to himself for rmembering all those lessons his mother gave him on manners. She smiled.  
  
"What a polite boy. Just call me Asame." She told him. He smiled and nodded. Kagome stared at him in shock for a moment before coming back to reality.  
  
"Well, mother we'd better be off to get something to eat. Shall we?" She looked at her friends. They nodded without hesitation. She grabbed their arms and walked to the end of the table, out of earshot from her mother. When they were far enough away, she turned to Inuyasha with a biwildered look. "Ok. Who are you and what did you do to Inuyasha?" She asked slipping on the accent. He just glared at her.  
  
"I'm Inuyasha, stupid." He said with a snort. "It's not like I don't have any manners and I live like a pig." He glared at her again before turning to the table of food and grabbing a chiken leg, biting into it with his fangs and ripping it off the bone like a dog. Kagome gave him a dry look.  
  
"Yeah....sure." She muttered before turning to the table herself and smiling at Sango. "So....what looks best?" She asked. Sango looked over the table carefully with a thoughtful look. She turned to her and grinned widely.  
  
"I think that cake looks best." She said, her mouth watering. Kagome giggled. Sango had a soft spot for sweet things.   
  
"Ok, lets go get some." She said, grabbing Inuyasha away from his chicken and heading toward the cake. He protested, but when he caught site of what they were heading for, he shut his mouth quick before he could drool on the floor. He LOVED cake. He'd only had it once before, and that was quite a while ago.  
  
Kagome grabbed the plates and sliced some cake for each of her friends. Sango ate it slowly, chewing with proper manners. Inuyasha was about to stuff his in his mouth whole before she sent him a glare. He quickly opted for life and ate politely. But that didn't stop him from eating it fast. The girls were giggling and laughing while eating what was left of their's when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He swallowed the last of it and turned to look at an ugly noble woman. She eyed him carfully before loweing her glasses and peering at him strangely. It took all of Inuyasha's will power not to run away from the overpowering scent of perfume.  
  
"Are you the busboy?" She asked in a screechy voice. Wanting to get away from her as soon as possible; to get away from the stench, he nodded quickly. "Good. Go get me and my fellows a drink of punce would you?" She asked, glaring down at him. It wasn't a request, so he nodded and quickly counted the peopple surrounding her before dashing off to the punch bowl. He muttered obsinities to himself as he grabbed two trays to carry the drinks on.   
  
He poured the punce into some cups, making sure he had enough. When he finished, he carfully put them on the tray, balencing them easily. Then did he notice he had a problem. There was still one drink that wouldn't fit on the trays, and he contmplated on what to do. Getting an idea, he sighed and put the trays down. He picked up the leftover drink and balanced it carefully on his face. He picked up the trays carefully, and slowly made his way over to the purfume lady. He approched Sango an Kagome, who suddenly cut off their conversation to stare at him; then try to hide snickers behing their hands. He growled slightly when he passed them, only making them snicker even more.   
  
He made it to the lady who turned around when he stood behind her. She scowled a bit, before grabbing the drink off his nose and taking the trays in a huff. She turned her back to him and continued talking to the group of people surrounding her. He glared at her back and turned back to Kagome and Sango, to give them a peice of his mind for laughing at him. What he'd expected was Kagome laughing, but what he saw was Kagome angry. He walked up to her looking confused.  
  
"What an egotistic pig!" She hissed angrily. He stared at her, shocked for a moment before finding his bearings.  
  
"What?" He asked, obviously confused. She glared at the woman's back heatedly.  
  
"You just did that for her and she doesn't even thank you! Then she goes and looks at you nastily! That's just not right!" She said angrily. Inuyasha shifted nervously before her. No one had ever stood up for him besides his mother and father.  
  
"I-it's no big deal. People do that to me all the time." He tried to assure her, but that only made her angrier.  
  
"They shouldn't do that! It's inhuman!" She growled again. He shifted a bit again. Sango had seemed to dissapear to the other end of the table, and was now talking with Kagome's mother happily. "I should put her straight this instent!" She said, beginning to stomp over to her. Inuyasha grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  
  
"Don't! You're mom'll get mad!" He told her. She stopped struggling and sighed.   
  
"Yeah....I don't want to let her down..." She muttered before glaring at the woman one more time and walking away, Inuyasha following her. The ball would end soon. The young children were only allowed to stay at the near end of the ball for safety reasons. Inuyasha suddenly got a crazy idea, or he thought it was crazy. He hoped it would cool her down at least.   
  
"Um....K-Kagome?" He asked, shifting once again. She looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"Yes?" She asked. She was hinding her anger, he could smell it.  
  
"D-do you want to.....you know.....dance?" He said the last word quietly. Kagome stared at him a moment before smileing.  
  
"Sure." She said happily, and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the dance floor. The last song was playing, meaning it was slow and sweet, calling the last dance of the night.They reached the dance floor and Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, smiling. "Can you Waltz?" She asked, putting her arms around his neck and looking up at him. Inuyasha gulped quietly, placing his arms around her waist.  
  
"A-a little." He muttered, looking down at the floor. She smiled a bit before resting her head on his shoulder. A shock went though him, and he stiffened a bit before forcing himself to relax. He'd never been this close to anyone before. He hadn't touched anyone like this in nearly seven years, so it was somewhat new to him. Unconsiously he pulled her closer, but just a little; bearly noticable. Slowly they swayed along with the sweet music. Inuyasha closed his eyes after a moment before resting his chin on her head and taking in her scent, just realizing how pleasent it was.  
  
On the other side of the room Sango and Asame were smiling at the pair.  
  
"They look good together, don't they?" Sango asked, looking up at Asame. She smiled and nodded, casping her hands together and sighing happily.  
  
"I may actually get grandkids earlier thn I thought." She said happily. Sango gaped at her.  
  
"But...their too young!" She said, staring in disbelief. Asame chuckled a bit and patted her head.   
  
"I ment when they get older dear." She said, smiling. Sango's eyes widened and her mouth formed an o.  
  
"Oh..." Then she realized what she ment. "Ohhhhh....."  
  
After a while, the song ended and the couples broke apart, getting ready to file out of the caslte. Inuyasha held onto Kagome a little longer than nessicery, but let her go. She looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Do you want to stay here tonight?" She asked. He smiled and shook his head.   
  
"Nah. I'd rather sleep in my tree. I'm more comfortable there." He told her. She smiled at him again before walking over to stand next to her mother, sending off the guests. Inuyasha waited until everyone but him, Kagome, Sango, and Asame were left. He walked over to the door, followed by Sango and smiled at Kagome and her mother.  
  
"I had a wonderful evening Asame-san." He said with a short bow. "I'll see you soon!" He said, his gaze lingering on Kagome before he walked out of the castle, still wearing Kouga's suit. Wait....Kouga wasn't arond tonight.....that was strange. But, she shrugged it off and waved to Inuyasha. He'd probably drop by her room on his way and pick up his clothes. Sango gave a hug goodbye and smiled.  
  
"Thanks for all the fun Kagome. See you tomorrow!" She said as she began to run down the path. Kagome waved to her happily.  
  
As Inuyasha walked down the path he smiled. He'd actually danced with a girl. And, for once he'd had fun around strangers. He smiled gently to himself once more. Oh yes, this would definatly be a night to remember.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*~^~* 


	4. I'll Be Back

A/N: This chap is very sad ;_; well to me it is. To answer some questions, yes Shippo and Miroku will be coming in. Yes, they do get older, but that's a little later.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or anything related to it, besides the charactors I put in.  
  
Review Replies!  
  
Mr. Mean: I'm glad you like it! ^_^ I'm not sure if there's gonna be heartbreak or not. It depends on where the story goes.  
  
Cyber1: Doesn't it!? It's SOO cool! ^_^ I love that castle!  
  
Dragonstar03: Thanks!  
  
Guardian Angel of ALL Anime: Me too! ^____^ I can't get enough fluffyness! So be sure for major fluff in the future!  
  
Anti [.] Poptarts: Yep! And yep!   
  
kistsune_magic: Thanks! ^_^  
  
Fluffy #1: Thankies! ^___^  
  
LanaticPandors #1: Thank you! ^_____^  
  
Angel-chan3: Thanks! I'll read you're story if I have the time (Which I probably will -.-;;) No problem! ^_^  
  
*  
  
Chapter IV  
  
I'll Be Back  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
*~^~One Year Later~^~*  
  
*  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome had become very close friends in the past year. They shared secrets, books, folklor and were all in all the best friends anyone could see in the village. Sango was just as close to them, and a great fighter as well. This year her training was getting more intense, and she was rarely allowed to do anything other than hone her skills. So, if she couldn't go to Sango, Kagome would go to Inuyasha's tree and sit with him. They'ed talk for hours, loosing track of time and all other things besides themselves. Inuyasha would pay visits to the castle whenever he pleased. He was now seen so often in his disguise that the gaurds would just smile and wave when he came by.  
  
But today was different. It started out as a normal day for the three friends, but seemed ominous in some way to Inuyasha. He had woken up in a cold sweat and could't shake the bad feeling he'd had, so he did the only thing he could think to do at the moment: talk to Kagome. He jumped out of his tree and walked the familier pathway to the castle with his human guise.   
  
Once inside the castle he climbed the stairs and followed the pathway on the right. He passed the many doors that lined the corridor and looked at each one. He knew by heart which one was Kagome's room, so he went strait to it. He stood in front of the door and knocked three times. Kagome had told him to do that if it was him or Sango. They had a special knock and it wasn't used by anyone else.  
  
After a moment Kagome opened the door and smiled up at him. "Come in Inuyasha." She said cheerfully stepping side. He nodded and walked in, sitting down on Kagome's feather bed sighing. She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. Something was bothering him. He always came to the castle eirlier than usual if something was wrong, as he did this morning.  
  
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" She asked gently. He looked at her worriedly.  
  
"I don't know Kagome....I have this really bad feeling. Like....I don't know something bads gonna happen today. I'm a little nervous." He confessed sighing again and laying back on her soft bed. Kagome looked at him, concerned. Whenever Inuyasha had bad feeling, it usually always turned out as a bad day. His demon instincts were never wrong.   
  
She sighed and layed down as well, staring at the cieling. She didn't like it when something was bothering him. He always looked as if he was spacing out, and didn't talk much. His aura radiated nervousness whenever he was like this, and it made her somewhat uncomfortable. She and Sango usually tried their best to cheer him up; sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But Sango was training today, and they couldn't cheer him up together like they usually did.   
  
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Kagome sat up and cocked her head a bit before walking over. Before standing at the door, she smoothed out her kimono and stood regaly. That made Inuyasha smile a bit. She looked so funny like that.  
  
"Who is it?" She called in a royal tone. A voice came from behind the door, a little muffled.  
  
"The king has requested the young man Inuyasha to meet at the council." A guard replied. Kgome froze and turned to Inuyasha with a horrified expression, her pace paling a bit. He sat bolt upright and was pale as well. 'Have they figured it out?' She thought nevously. When she replied she didn't give any hint of emotion.  
  
"He will be there in a few minutes." She told the person. She heard his footsteps down the hall. Once he was gone she turned to Inuyasha, who had gotten off the bed and was making his way to the door. He stopped beside her and looked at her worriedly.  
  
"D-do you think he knows?" He asked nervously. Kagome shrugged slightly.  
  
"Let's go and find out." She said and opened the door. They walked side by side down the corridor to the throne room. Both pale and nervous. When they reached the door a guard, supposedly the one who had requested them, stopped Kagome and shook his head.  
  
"Sorry princess but this is a private meeting." He told her. She looked over to Inuyasha and nodded her head. He gulped visibly and walked into the wooden doors. Kagome stood anxiously awaiting his return. She bit her lip and stared at the door. She couldn't hear anything through the wood but wished she could. 'Please don't let him know, please don't let him know.' She chanted over and over in her head. After what seemed like hours the door finally opened and Inuyasha came out with his head downcast. After him was a strange looking woman with red eyes. Kagome gasped. 'She's a youkai!'   
  
The woman looked at her narrowing her eyes, then bent down and wispered something in Inuyasha's ear. He looked at her before slowly walking over to Kagome. She looked at him but couldn't catch his eye.  
  
"Inuyasha? What's wrong?" She asked gently.   
  
"Kagome....come with me..." He said quietly. His voice was broken and sad. She nodded concerned, and followed him as he led her outside of the castle. He led her through the village, and down the pathway to the plains where there were a few trees scattered, including Inuyasha's tree. He stopped before it and looked at her with sad, pained eyes. She looked at him concerned.  
  
"Inuyasha....what's wrong?" She asked again in a nervous voice. He sighed sadly and looked into her eyes.  
  
"The king....has sent me away for a while." He said. "He's sending me to the lord of the North to keep peace. Their sending me as a peace treaty." He told her closing his eyes trightly with an angry expression. She looked at him confused.  
  
"But I can see you again can't I." She asked him. He turned away from her face and said in a slightly broken voice.  
  
"You might if you go to the North." He said quietly. She looked confused again.  
  
"I don't understand." She told him. He sighed and looked at her once more.  
  
"Kagome....I'm leaving.....forever." He wispered. She gasped as tears filled her eyes.  
  
"They can't do that! You're not their property! My father would never do anything like this! He can't send you away!" She shouted, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. He looked pained again.  
  
"Kagome....something happened last night as well....you're father....he was killed last night Kagome." He told her sadly. "The adviser's the new king now." She stared at him for a moment. He couldn't be lieing. Inuyasha never lied to her about anything. After a moment she shook her head in disbelief.  
  
"He...he can't be..." She wispered. It was getting harder and harder for her to hold back her tears. He nodded grimly. "H-he's...dead." She squeaked a bit on the last word. She could no longer hold her tears back, and the dam broke as tears poured down her cheeks. She lifted her hands and whiped at them feroshiosly, trieing futily to stop them. Finnaly giving up, she covered her face and leaned on the tree they stood next to and began sobbing. Inuyasha panicked slightly. He'd never seen Kagome cry at all in the year that they'd spent. She was usualy too strong for that; but this news was too much, even for her. Her father had just died and he was going away. He did the only thing he could think of an the moment: he grabbed her and held her close.   
  
As soon as his arms encircled her waist she threw herself against him, balling her fists into his haori and sobbing into it. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ear quietly.  
  
"Shhh...It'll be alright. I'm sorry." It was all he could think of. She only began to sob harder, so it didn't do much. "Kagome....I won't leave you forever. I'll come back, no matter what anyone says." He told her, making a plan in his head. Her sobs got softer after a moment, and she pulled back slightly. Rubbing one of her eyes, she looked up at him through her tears.  
  
"R-realy? You won't l-leave me forever?" She asked, her eyes pleading. He smiled sadly and nodded, pulling her close and putting his chin on her head. He inhaled a bit, ingraving her scent in his memory forever.  
  
"I promise, no matter what. I'll come back to you. Even if I'm half-dead, I'll come back." He told her. He felt her arms hold him tighter, before she pulled back.  
  
"You'd never break a promise." She said, smiling at him through her tears. He nodded.  
  
"Inuyasha! Come over here we don't have all day!" The woman had come down the path from the castle and was standing on the road that led to the Northern lands. He turned and glared at her briefly before turning back to Kagome.  
  
"I'll be back." He told her looking deep into her eyes before turning and following the woman down the road. Kagome hugged herself, suddenly feeling empty, before wispering one thing.  
  
"I'll be waiting."  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
Inuyasha glared ahead of them as they walked down the road. He was angry, and depressed. He'd never felt this bad before. He'd just left his best friend to keep away from some stupid war. At least she was safe. If she was ok, then nothing else mattered. He WOULD keep his promise, even if he had to crawl back to her with a broken back and one leg.   
  
Suddenly, the woman who was walking beside him stopped. He walked ahead a few paces before turning around to glare at her. He didn't get the chance to even see her face before he felt an immense pain shoot through his stomach; then his world turned black.  
  
*  
  
Kagura threw the half-demon brat at her lords feet. She'd been sent the year before to the Eastern lands to search for a half-demon by the name of Inuyasha, and found this boy at the ball. She came back with the news to tell her lord, and he sent her to go fetch him; after waiting quite a while. She looked up at her lord and bowed.  
  
"I have brought him my lord. Lord Inutaisho's son." She told him. The room she stood in was made of a disgusting brown stone, and the throne her lord sat on was made of rusted gold. It was surrounded with a blood red viel, in some places it was more red than others. Her lord stood, walking gracefully down the steps that led to the throne. As he walked into the light, his face was shown. He was deathly pale, with blood red eyes. His hair was long, slightly wavy, and a greasy black. He was wearing what a king would wear, but his cape was a white baboon pelt.   
  
He looked at the unconsious boy laying on the floor and smirked.  
  
The half-demon brat was bleeding from his stomace, where he suspected Kagura had impaled him. His eyes were open slightly, a pale glassed over gold shone, the catlike pupils he had inherited from his father, gone due to his unconsious state. He prodded his body with a boot clad foot, and the boy twicthed a bit; but other wise did nothing.   
  
Naraku looked up from the mess on the floor and smirked at Kagura.  
  
"For once, you've actually found the right person." He said coldly. Kagura tried hard not to glare at him. Naraku looked down a the would-be prince. "Did you find him with anyone?" He asked. Kaguya set her jaw and nodded.  
  
"He was with princess Kagome my lord. He seemed extreamly close to her." She told him, staring straight ahead. Naraku smiled evily.  
  
"Good. In four years, betroth her to me." He told her. She didn't dare go against his voice.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
He nodded approvingly. "Now, take him out with the rest of those humans and half-breeds. Stay with him until he wakes up, then tell him what he is here for. Go into detail about our punishments, and make sure he is watched hourly. I don't want one of Inutaisho's sons rampaging my kingdom freely. Give him the hardest jobs we have." With that, he turned on his heel and headed toward the door.   
  
Once he was gone Kagura scowled.  
  
"Yes master..." She muttered sarchasticaly, before grbbing the boy roughly by the scruff of his haori and carring him out of the room.  
  
*  
  
He awoke to his stomach screaming at him, and an immense headache. He opened his eyes slowly before shuting them quickly as the light flooded in, along with the strong sense of nausea. He was on something slightly soft, but nothing like Kagome's feather bed ,and could hear some noise outside, like hammers hitting rock, but thought nothing of it.   
  
He balled his fists and tried to sit up, but his stomach protested painfully and another wave of nausea slammed into his senses. He realized, to his horror that he couldn't move without feeling sick. He groaned a bit in pain, and slumped against what he was laying on.  
  
"Good. You're awake." A voice said behind him. He tensed and growled warningly. He was helpless, didn't know where he was, and someone was in here with him. "I'm not going to hurt you half-breed." The voice said quietly. He relaxed a bit before growling angrily.  
  
"W-where am I?" He winced at his own voice. It was painfilled and hourse. The voice snorted.  
  
"You're in the Northern lands. You're here to work for the lord Naraku. I'm here to tell you what you are to be doing." The voice told him. He grunted and opened his eyes, ignoring the horrible waves of nausea.  
  
"I'm not working for someone like Naraku." He snarled as best he could. He recignized the voice now, having seen her face. It didn't surprise him to notice it was the woman who took him away from Kagome. But she looked slightly surprised at his answer.  
  
"You know Lord Naraku?" She asked. He snarled again.  
  
"He's the one who killed my Mom and Dad! I'd never work for that bastard!" His voice was catching and breaking but her didn't care. Kagura smirked at his antcis.  
  
"You look half-dead already. You shouldn't be accusing anything. I'm only here to tell you the punishments." She said breezily, clapping the fan he'd just noticed she held in her right hand. "Our first rule, is no talking about any of the other lands in a good way. The punishment if you're caught is no food for three days." She began. "Two, never put down our lord behind his back. Punishment, no water for two days. Three, no one is to run away from this place. If you manage to get passed the gates, our guards will hunt you down. Punishment, death. And last is no helping another worker in need. You do you're work, they do theirs. Punishment, you get beaten as the guards see fit." She finished with a yawn. "Now I expect you to be up by tommorrow morning and ready to work." She smirked at him again, and left the small hut.  
  
Inuyasha glared after her before looking around the room, forcing the bile that was rising in his throat down from the light. It wasn't much to look at. He was laying on a blanket that covered the floor, which was dirt. There was probably enough room for a kitsune and himself. A window was above him, stained but still let a bit of light in. The door was a mat that hung from the cieling, motheaten. He sighed and closed his eyes. It was probably near mid-noon from the positions of the shadows. He felt sick, he was hurting badly, and he couldn't get rid of the bile rising in his throat. He forced it down once more and caughed in his hand. Pulling it back a bit he stared at the red, sticky substance covering it.  
  
He stared at his hand for a few moments before drifting off into unconciousness once more.   
  
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*~^~*  
  
*  
  
Kagome walked back to her room after saying goodbye to one of the best friends she'd ever had. Still sobbing quietly, she climbed the starcase that led up to her room from the first floor. Sango wouldn't be finished training until evening, and there was nothing for her to do other than stare at her brother all day. As she walked up the stairs rubbing her eyes, the new king walked by. She recognized him as the kings advisor, Kinori. He was a weak man, bony and skiny, and very ugly. His face was pale, and his eyes were black. He was balding slightly and wore the crown over his bald head. To her horror, he stopped right next to her and smiled, showing teeth that hadn't been cleaned in decades.  
  
"My princess," He said in a sweet voice, "Don't be devistated about you're father. You'll see his funeral soon." He croaked. His voice was sweet and croaky. She winced just at that.  
  
"I-it's not just m-my father." She said, glaring through her tears. "You s-sent away my best f-friend." She glared harder as more tears poured down her cheeks.   
  
"But it was a way to keep peace between our countries." He replied sweetly, "You're friend wouldn't want you getting into a war. We gave him a choice princess. Either stay here and risk war, or go there and protect everyone." He smiled at her before walking down the corridor. Kagome shivered. That guy had something planed for the years he would be king; and something horrible.  
  
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*~^~* 


	5. I'm on My Way

A/N: I UPDATED!! It's amazing! I finnaly found time to update! YAY!! ^_^ I'm going to put my other stories on hiatus for a while. It's too muvh stress to juggle three stories, and school. So, I'm ganna be working on this one for a while, then I'll get back to my other stories,  
  
Disclaimer: ::Sigh:: I don't own Inuyasha or any other charactors from the wonderful series that Rumiko Takahashi derived from scratch. Now, let me wallow in my misery in peace!  
  
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Chapter V  
  
I'm On My Way  
  
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*~^~*  
  
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He was running.   
  
That was what he normaly did now, run as fast as his demon speed would allow him. He passed a few workers to his right, and leaped over a fallen tree. To the human eye he was nothig but a red and white blur, speeding past at an incredible pace. This place reeked of bad memories and sad stories, leaving his unguarded mind to fall slowly into the depths of sadness. But one light shone through, and that was where he was heading. He was on his way back to where he belonged, or the closest place to it. He'd been trying to get away from this torture for who knows how long, but was always caught and dragged back by the demon guards to work in the filth he'd lived in for nearly five years. They'd been breaking the rules of course. Do NOT under any circumstances let someone escape and come back alive.   
  
He'd been brought back seven times.  
  
Jumping the same fence he'd jumped quite a few times before, he made his way towards the gates that lead to the nearby forest. One of the few ways to get out of this place was through there. He knew this trail like the back of his clawed hand scaning it every day, figuring out the best way to escape while helping the other humans and half-demons that worked near the main gate, and this short trail was the best he'd been able to find. Many of the guards were near the North side of the old mine where he slaved, the last place he'd tried to escape. Every one of them were still as blind as a mole, espeacialy that greasy thing Naraku.   
  
They didn't see that he actually had a *brain*, and made up stratagy's. They didn't *see* that he wasn't as stupid as they thought him to be. Everyone thought he was a mindless dog-boy, even the other slaves. They'd made fun of him and tortured his poor ears. Once they'd been desprate enough to put a rat in his hair while he was sleeping. Stupid rodent nearly chewed them off....  
  
He never trusted anyone after that. The only good thought's he could turn to was the girl he'd promised to come back to. He wondered if she still remembered him; he cirtainly remembered her. She was the only thing that kept him from giving up in all these years, his promise to her.   
  
And this time, he'd escape. If he was caught again, he'd just try tommorrow. Getting caught and beaten never stopped him, so he'd keep trying untill he finnaly got out, and back to her. He missed her a lot....  
  
He slowed his run into a walk as he came colser to the stone gate and quickly walked up to one of the box shaped pillars that held the gate together, peering around the edge. Sniffing a bit to make sure no one was near, he was about to bolt to the gate when he heard a shout from a childs voice. He stopped in his tracks and listened. The kid was maybe a little younger than he was when he came here, but he noticed a strange scent coming from the direction of the shout; he'd missed it earlier. Walking slowly out from behind the pillar he looked at the scene in front of him.   
  
There were two guards along with a young boy, who looked about nine or ten. He was growling at the two guards who were holding something in their hands. But what surprised him was that the boy was a hanyou, not human and demon, but two different breeds of demons. A wolf and a dog.   
  
The young boy was glaring merderously at the two people who were holding something fuzzy. It looked like an animal or something, with brownish gold fur. The boy growled again, baring sharp fangs as the two men poked and proded the fuzzball in their hands.  
  
"Drop Shippo now or I'll hurt you!" He snarled lamely, running out of good things to say. The guards glared down at him from behind their rusted metal helments and looked back at each other as if the black haired hanyou was never there. The boy snarled again, his wolfish ears flattening against his head. "I'm warning you!" He growled. They finnaly acnoaleaged his presence when one gripped his long black hair and pulled him to face him. The boy struggled and snarled against the grip, trieing to pull himself out of the older mans metal clad hands.  
  
"Shut up you little freak!" The guard hissed angrily, his face so close to the half-demon that he could feel his rank breath beating on his face. The young boy squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath.  
  
"Who says we can't have a little fun with the fuzzball? He's only a slave like you." The other man sneered before bursting into amused laughter, "And who says we can't play with you either?" He added as an afterthought.   
  
Both of the men were demons, Inuyasha could see, because both had unnatural colored hair, strange looking elfish ears, and long whiplike tails waving behind them. He growled slightly as they laughed in the half-demons face, making him flinch. Shaking his head in sympathy, Inuyasha was about to to make a dash for the gate, when a shout from the direction of the guards stopped him, and he turned back to see what had happened.  
  
"The half-breed bit me!" One of them shouted in outrage, the one holding the boy, as he put his thumb in his mouth and glared daggers at the boy who was looking quite smug.  
  
"Now Shippo!" The black haired boy suddenly shouted, and the fuzzball the other man was holding transformed into a giant pink ballon like creature and threw both men off their feet, freeing the young hanyou.   
  
After getting over their shock, the guards stood up and charged the demons, one going after the boy and the other after the pink balloon. The boy quickly ducked under the mans raised fist and punched him hard in the gut, even if he was a demon that one hurt! He slid to the ground, holding his abdomine and glaring at the dirt.   
  
The giant balloon was having a bit more trouble though, as he circled the guards head, making him run in circles over and over again. As the balloon was making another pass, the guard suddenly fell to the ground after tripping over an uplifted root. He quickly tryed to get to his feet, but wasn't fast enough as the black haired hanyou came up behind him without warning, and punched the back of his head, instantly knocking him out.   
  
When they made sure that no one else was coming, the giant balloon transformed, and in it's place stood a short kitsune youkai, grinning like an idiot.  
  
"I didn't think that would work!" He exclaimed excitedly jumping up and down and pumping his fist in the air. The hanyou grinned back.  
  
"Neither did I!" He grinned and turned towards the gate, heading straight for it. "And you thought I wasn't strong enough." He told the kit, giving him a sly look. The fox pouted dejectedly.   
  
Suddenly a sound from behind them made them spin around so fast they nearly got whiplash. Before they could react, the guard who'd been on the ground brought down a large slab of wood, aiming straight for their heads. They winced and waited for impact, but it never came. Slowly, the hanyou opened his eyes and stared at the fallen guard in front of him, unconsious. His eyes widened to plates when his gaze wandered up and landed on a smirking dog-demon with silver white hair, gleaming in the sunset. He quickly backed up a bit and stared in wonder at the dog-demon, before sighing and holding his hands out.   
  
"I guess you're here to take me back...I can't blame you." He sighed quietly. Inuyasha gave him a strange look. The fox kit had frozen when he set eyes upon the silver white hair, gold eyes, and twitching dog-ears. Something was iching in his brain, telling him he should know this guy, but he couldn't put his paw on it.  
  
"Why would I do that?" He snorted, "I want to get out of this place as much as you guys do." He said smirking as he passed the gaping pair and walked toward the gate.  
  
"W-who are you?" The boy asked, giving him a strange look. Inuyasha turned and glared at them.  
  
"We don't have time for introductions!" He hissed, "I'm getting out of this place while I still can!" He said, turning back to the gate, "Are you coming?" He asked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at them. The black haired boy splutered a bit before nodding and grabbig Shippo's tail, dragging him towards the waiting hanyou.  
  
"I'm Hitori by the way, and this is Shippo." He introduced, pointing to the frozen fox behind him. Inuyasha glared.  
  
"Didn't I say now wasn't the time?!" He growled, hopping to the top of the gate in one swift leap. The boy stared for a bit before throwing Shippo over his shoulder and climbing up the gate pillar, following Inuyasha down to the other side.   
  
"Just so you won't call me filthey half-breed like everyone else." Hitori muttered, dropping Shippo, who had finally come out of shock. Despite his attitude, Inuyasha's face sofened a bit.   
  
"Inuyasha..." He muttered, carefully sniffing the air for any more guards.  
  
"Huh?" The boy looked at him confused.  
  
"My name is Inuyasha!" He barked, leaping off towards the woods without a glance back. Hitori grinned.  
  
"Now were gettin' somewhere." Then he noticed the hanyou was gone, "Hey! wait for me!" He shouted as he ran off after him, Shippo not far behind.  
  
*~^~*  
  
"Kimi wa ima doko wo aruite   
  
Nani wo mitsumeteru no?   
  
Itsuka hanashite kureta yume   
  
Oitsuzukete iru no?..."  
  
Kagome sang under her breath as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was off to another dinner feast with the king, who had ordered her to wear her best dress. Of course she could no longer wear her best dress, considering it didn't fit her anymore, so he choose one for her.   
  
And he happened to like girls with big, poofy, pink, frilly dresses...  
  
She scowled at her reflection and resisted the urge to rip the dress to little scraps she could use for making her cat's clothes. She *hated* the king. After he'd sold Inuyasha to the North, he'd forbidden her to go out and see Sango, also forbidding Sango to ever come here.  
  
"It's disgusting to assosiate with peasents." He'd sneered one day when Sango had visited the castle, while she was standing right next to her. "Espeacialy a 'demon extermanator'." He'd spat that out like it was a bug in his mouth. She had to literally restrain Sango from ripping the guys throat out... Sango was very proud of her family business.   
  
Later, he'd forbidden her to even *leave* the castle! She couldn't even go out to the guardens anymore, even though her mother had protested. He'd brushed her off with a comment on her health.   
  
Then he'd made nearly impossible rules for her to follow, such as: Don't leave you're room unless summund, never go into any other room in the castle other than you're own, don't leave the castle unless under attack, and many more outragous rules. She gritted her teeth as she thought of the many more he'd made.  
  
"Don't do this, don't do that, I'm gonna murder you in you're sleep..." She hissed angrilly, glaring at her reflection again. He'd taken *everything* from her. Her friends, her freedom, and nearly her privacy. He had a castle maid check up on her every five minutes, which constantly ticked her off. She could be in the middle of dressing and someone would barge in without warning and ask what she was doing. It had happened too many times to count.   
  
She sighed and gave up her glaring contest with herself and turned to her bed, flopping down face first and buring her head in her pillows, not caring that her dress got wrinkled.   
  
"I hate being a princess..." She muttered into the pillow as she sighed.  
  
"Well then, why don't you run away?"   
  
Kagome shot up and looked to her window where a grinning Sango sat, stroking Kirara, her newest partner. She'd found Kirara living off of mice in one of the castle barns, skinny and weak, even for a demon. The little cat seemed so helpless then, Sango didn't have the heart to kill her, so she took her home and nursed her back to health, and she'd kept her ever since. When she found out Kirara's ability to transform into a giant sabor toothed tiger, she'd taken her to every extermanation job from then on. She also used Kirara to help her get up to her room. Kagome grinned and stood up, walking over to her friend and sitting next to her.   
  
"You know I can't do that until Inuyasha comes back, then we can all run away, and start a traveling play!" She grinned happily and Sango giggled.  
  
"Yeah, the great Kagome Higurashi, star of the most romantic airship play in the world!" She grinned and Kirara hopped out of her arms with a soft 'mew' and curled up on Kagome's feather soft bed. Kagome grinned back.  
  
Ever since the new king arrived she'd had nothing to smile about. Nowadays, Kagome no longer grinned at everything, or smiled at even people she hated. Now, she only smiled around those who had known her sonce she was 10. Which wasn't very many. The king had sent half the workers in the castle back home, only three days after his new reighn.   
  
Of course, they had the right to blaim the wolves who'd come and stayed that night, for killing her father, but the king said that he wouldn't blaim them, considering how large their army was, and what good allies they could be.  
  
It was also surprising how the townsfolk were holding up. There weren't any new shipments of food for them as much as they'd have liked. The king had said that if they wanted food, they had to get it themselves. Now, whenever Sango came, Kagome would notice that she had lost quite a bit of weight even though they only met days apart. One day she'd asked her about it.  
  
*~^~Flashback~^~*  
  
"Sango...how much food do you get daily?" She'd popped the question a few moments into their chess game. That was the only board game she'd been given. Sango was winning, but she wouldn't let the girl take her perfect score!  
  
"Why do you ask?" She said quietly, her eyes glued on Kagome's fingers as she made her next move.  
  
"Well....whenever you come over now, you seem......skinnier." She said now watching Sango's hand like a hawk.  
  
"I don't usually eat." She muttered as she put her hand to her chin thoughtfully, planning her next move as Kagome took hers. "We can't make our own food, so we either have to go hunt, or eat the demon parts we keep stashed in the freezer for Kirara. But I've tried that and I'd rather eat a raw cow." She added with a snort.  
  
Kagome smiled lightly. "So, you can't even ask neighbors, or even the merchents to sell you food?" Sango shook her head.  
  
"The merchents are either sold out or don't have any crops left. Our neighbors don't have any food to spare. They'd give it to us if they could, but we can't take their food." She said as she moved one of her pieces to the other side of the board. "Checkmate!" She grinned widely and sat back in her chair. Kagome pouted and slid down in her chair.  
  
"There goes my perfect score..."  
  
*~^End Flashback~^~*   
  
After that Kagome saved some of her dinner and brought it to her room for Sango. At first the girl protested, but Kagome was too stubborn to take no as an answer, so she ate whatever Kagome brought her.   
  
After Kirara arrived, hunting had become much more easy. Kirara could track a herd of deer and bring down every one of them. Sometimes the exterminators sold the extra meat they'd caught to the elderly villagers who couldn't hunt themselves. The exterminators were like saviors now. Every time one would come back from a hunt a few of the injured, elderly, or children of the village brought whatever money they could scrounge up and baught as much meat as they were allowed. Now the exterminators were fine financially, thanks to Kirara, but they were still underfed.  
  
"You really believe Inuyasha's still going to come back?" Sango sighed suddenly, fidgiting with her kimono. Kagome snapped her gaze up to her friend and gave her a strange look.  
  
"Why wouldn't he?" She asked cocking her head confusidly. Sango sighed and avoided her eyes.  
  
"It's nearly been five years Kagome. I don't think he's coming back." She was focusing her gaze on the small candle resting on Kagome's desk. Even though she had electricity, Kagome still liked to use candles. They gave the room a gentle glow that the lights never could.  
  
"Of course he will. He promised me didn't he? We both know Inuyasha would never break a promise, he said it's dishonor and shamful." Kagome pointed out like she'd solved the problem.   
  
"But Kagome, he's been gone for so long! What if he's dead! He couldn't help it if he's dead, honor wouldn't matter to him anymore!" Sango argued slightly. Kagome shook her head stubbornly,  
  
"He said that he'd come back to me even if he was miamed and run through, he'd still find a way back to me!" She protested. Sango was about to retort when a knock at the door startled both of them.  
  
"Lady Kagome, you are to come to dinner." A guard said in monotone before walking away. Kagome sighed and stood up.  
  
"I'll bring you something from the table ok?" She offered, smiling sadly before walking out the door quietly, pink, frilly, dress and all.   
  
*~^~*  
  
"How far is it?"  
  
"I don't know."   
  
"Is it a big castle?"  
  
"Maybe."   
  
"Are there any trees?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Is there a pretty girl there?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Are you hopelessly in love with her?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Darn." Shippo snapped his tiny fingers. That was a close one. The young kitsune and the hanyou were now taking turns in torturing the older hanyou, who was trying his hardest not to twitch uncontrolably. "Didn't think you were paying attention." The kit shrugged from his shoulder. Hitori glared up at them.  
  
"How come he gets to ride?" He whined. Inuyasha twitched a bit. The kids were no older than six and seven, Hitori being oldest. Even if he was about as tall as a ten year old, he still had the mind of a seven year old, but was very intelligent, as was the fox kit. That's what he didn't need right then, two whinney kids, two *smart* whinney kids...   
  
"He's not supposed to get a ride." He growled and pushed the kit from his shoulder, causing him to land face-first in the dirt covering the path they were traveling on. Hitori snickered at the kit as he spit sand and picked rocks from his fangs. Shippo glared at him but did nothing else as he stood up and dusted himself off. They continued to follow after the hanyou as he sulked on ahead. Hitori caught up to him quickly.  
  
"So, what's this girl you're going to see like?" He asked as he hopped over a rock in the path. Shippo looked up at him in intrest. The hanyou growled lightly.  
  
"None of you're business!" He snapped and sped up a bit. That didn't help, as the two kids matched his pace.   
  
"Well, if it isn't our business, then tell what she's like so we can know a bit about her before we meet her." Hitori said calmly. Inuyasha scowled down at him.  
  
"Who says you're going to meet her?!" He snapped angrilly. Hitori sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Who says were not? You can't stop us, we can just follow you're scent." He smirked back up at the golden eyed boy. Good point...  
  
"Fine!" He growled irritably and crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh. He looked at the ground in thought, pulling her face from his memory. Of course, she probably looked older and a lot prettier than her ten year old self, but that was all he had. "I haven't seen her in a while so she probly looks different. She's got greyish blue eyes," He glanced around and looked up at the sky, pointing to it, "the color the sky is right now. When ever she laughed they sparkled like that glittery stuff you put on birthday cards." He muttered. Hitori gave him a dry look.  
  
"Quite the romantic ain't ya?"   
  
"Shut up!" He barked. He looked back ahead with a slight scowl. "Her hair is raven black with blue highlights, and about this long," He indicated by putting a hand a little below his shoulders, "and whenever she's happy she smiles like the world just came to peace." His eyes sofened but his face still remaind a scowl. "She was about a few inches or so shorter than me, may be taller now I'm not sure. She likes flowers and nature, anything simple can make her smile. She's not even afraid of rodents, she thinks their adorable." He looked a little thoughful.   
  
"Exept for the time that giant rat demon was found in the corn bags in the barn." He shook his head. "Anyway, her favorite flowers are roses, the blue kind, because it's her favorite color. She's kind to about every living creature. Be it a spider or a giant troll who stepped on a nail, she'd help anything that needed any help. She helped me when I needed it."  
  
Now it seemed as if he was talking to himself, but the two Youkai kids listened with rapt attention. This was inturesting...  
  
"I met her in a small field near the village she lived in. I was watching some kids play ball below, and she joined in. She kicked the ball into the tree I was sitting in and I fell out, the other kids laughed at me and pushed me around, but she told them to stop. They listened 'cause she was the princess, and went back to the village. Then she asked me to play, and I never had so much fun in my life. The next day she invited me to the castle, and we've been friends ever since." He shrugged and put his hands in his sleaves, no longer scowling.  
  
Hitori and Shippo extainged evil looks and turned back to him with innocent angel faces. Inuyasha looked at them suspiciously, but they just grinned. Now he was questioning their sanity, and walked away a bit. But before anything more could happen, they heard a shout of 'Pervert!' and a loud resounding slap. From the trees ahead a girl walked out, flushed and angry, and headed down the path. Inuyasha and the kids stopped and blinked, then a rather begragled priest walked out of the same bushes as if nothing had happened. He turned and spotted the demons. He smiled suddenly and walked over to them, bowing in introduction.  
  
"Hello. My name is Miroku, how may I be of servis?" He asked politely.  
  
Oh boy...  
  
*~^~* 


	6. Air Ships

A/N: Okay, Hitori has a purpose. A very cruel purpose but one none the less. He'll be like Shippo's play-mate and best friend.  
  
Disclaimer:...........If you actually think I own him, you need to go to an insane asylem.  
  
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Chapter VI  
  
Air Ships  
  
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"So, you're traveleling to the Southern kingdom to fufill you're promise to a friend." Miroku summerized as he stired the vegitabal soup. Inuyasha nodded, holding out his bowl and spooning some of the soup in. Hitori and Shippo sat beside him, happily devouring the warm, steamy broth. Miroku sighed and filled his own bowl. "I'm afraid you have quite a way to travel. You're still in the Northern lands, and not too far from another slave mine. I was allowed to pass because I am a wondering monk, and offered to bless the grounds." He said as he sipped his soup.   
  
Inuyasha had been slightly surprised that the monk had known from the start that they were Youkai, but didn't run off. He told him where they were going, and he even offered to help. He was still suspicious, but would allow him to help for now.  
  
"Damn it..." He muttered, glaring at the ground beneath him, his face contorted in frustration. "I didn't know this place was so huge. I was unconsious when I was brought here..."  
  
Miroku looked at him thoughfully, rubbing his chin a bit. "I wonder..." He muttered before smiling at the growling Hanyou. "I can hitch us a ride on an airship, heading out tommorrow. If we hurry we can get there by the time it lifts off around noon." He offered thoughtfully. Inuyasha looked up at him surprised. "We'll leave tommorrow if you're interested."  
  
The dog Hanyou grinned widely, slightly unnerving the monk.  
  
"Well then, were off to the airfield." He said, for a rare moment, trully cheerful. He downed the rest of his soup quickly, absently pulling Shippo and Hitori apart, who had been fighting over the last bit of broth left in the pot. He put the bowl back beside the monk and jumped up into a nearby tree to keep watch for the night.   
  
"Inuyasha? Wouldn't you like to rest for you're jorney?" Miroku called up to him from his place at the bottom of a tree on the opposite side of camp. Inuyasha scoffed.  
  
"I don't need to sleep. It's you humans that need sleep." He said. Miroku just shrugged and got himself comfortable for the night.  
  
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*~^~*  
  
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Kagome winced as she entered the dinning hall. The king had decided that another 'private' dinner with the princess alone was in order. She dreded those. The last time he called her here was to tell her why Sango could no longer enter the castle, and that she wasn't allowed in the gardens anymore.   
  
She took a deep breath before turning the corner and entering the hall, walking with a steady stride, faking it all. She walked up the wide staircase to join the king at the long dinning table. She quickly took her seat next to him and he smiled at her warmly.  
  
"Ah, Kagome I-"  
  
"Cut the small talk and tell me why you asked me here." She sighed impatiantly. He looked a little taken aback but nodded, motioning for dinner to be served. Kagome folded her hands in her lap, resisting the erge to rip a hole through it her dress, no matter what this man saw.  
  
"Oh right." He smiled as two plates full of steaming food were set before them. Each had a bowel of vegitabal soup, a potato, some bread, and nearly a full half of a chiken, along with a drink of water, or ail, in the kings case. "I have recieved a marrige proposel." He said cheerfully. Kagome nearly rolled her eyes.  
  
This man was not only weak, but he was strangely cheerful all the time. If his country went to war, he'd be sitting up in his throne, laughing his head off at someone's lame joke. He didn't care for the villagers, nor did he care if his kingdom was invaded. He only cared about his power, and used it constantly against her. She sighed and rolled her eyes as he took a bite out of the chiken.  
  
"And who may that be?" She asked sarcasticaly, having lost her appitite as soon as she was called to dinner.  
  
"Lord Naraku of the Northern Lands himself! He sent the proposel with a messenger and we recieved it today." He said, not even glancing up from his chicken. Kagome's mouth dropped. 'The North....that's where Inuyasha went!'  
  
"W-what..." She stuttered. The king glanced at her and grinned, chicken skin stuck between his teeth.  
  
"Yes, amazing isn't it! That such a great king would send for a scrawny little thing like you." He piqued cheerfully, going back to his meal. Kagome's gaze snapped back to him from wherever in la la land she was, and glared daggers - no swords into his forehead. She opened her mouth to retort, when a messenger suddenly burst through the dinning room doors. He ran up to the king and whispered something in his ear. The king smiled and nodded, stading up and following the man out the door without even a word of goodbye.  
  
Kagome huffed and crossed her arms, sitting at the table alone. Sighing, she put her elbows on the table and dropped her head in her upturned palms, staring out the window on the other side of the room. Suddenly something flitted across the stained glass, and she lifted her head in surprise. Her brows ferrowed and she stood from her chair, walking slowly over to the window. Once she stood in front of it, she rested her hands on the sill and squinted to see outside.   
  
There was nothing. She sighed and moved to turn around, when suddenly the glass blew in, throwing her off her feet and crashing to the floor. Quickly, she flipped herself over to stare into the eyes of Sango. (Bet you thought it was Inu! LOL!!) She jumped off Kirara, who had been the one to destroy the glass, and ran over to help her up, an apologetic look on her face.   
  
"Sorry, but were being attacked." She said calmly as she helped Kagome find her feet. Said girl shook her head to clear it and turned to the oak door that had been opened. The king ran in with a few guards and stopped near the table. For once his face wasn't curved in a perpetual grin.  
  
"What is she doing here?!" He demanded angrilly. Sango turned to him, letting Kagome's hands drop to her sides and bowed.  
  
"I'm sorry sir, but the village is being attacked. I just came to make sure the princess was safe." She lied. Kagome finally came out of her stupor and turned to Kirara, who had reverted into a harmless kitty again. She trotted over and jumped up to Kagome's sholder, nuzzling her neck and mewing softly. Absently Kagome lifted a hand to pet the small demon cat.  
  
The king eyed the Taijiya wearilly before an inhuman cry wavered through the village. Kagome quickly turned around and stared out the window in horror. She covered her mouth and backed up a few paces.  
  
"I-t's a Balrog!" She gasped. (The demon from LOTR in the mine with all the dead dwarves, I think that's what it's called ^^;; Correct me if I'm wrong) Sango turned and narrowed her eyes at the hulking creature. It was hard to distinguish from the night, some smouldering patches of fire, it's eyes, and the long fireiy whip that it clutched in one of it's oversized hands were the only things to be distinguished. It leaned forward and let out another earsplitting roar, it's huge, dark wings blowing out behind it. It was nearly New Moon, so it was very dark that night.   
  
Sango scowled and ran toward the shattered window, calling to Kirara over her sholder. The little cat leaped off Kagome and towards the window, transforming as she went. Sango jumped out the window just as the cat reached the edge. Kirara flew beneath the airborn girl and caught her as she decended, and flew back towards the window.   
  
"Kagome, stay away from any window, or anything flamibal. Get you're arrows if you want to make this easier!" She instructed as she turned Kirara towards the giant demon. Kagome nodded to her fading back and turned towards the doors, ignoring the kings biwildered expression. Passing through the doors, she made her way to the armory to grab her arrows. She quickly raced down the stairs and turned into the room, grabbing a bow and quiver of arrows from the rack and turning around as fast as her legs could carry her.   
  
She ran back up the stairs and turned right, heading towards the balcony where the king or queen would give speeches. She ran to the edge and leaned over, the quiver and bow hanging from her sholder. Sango was flying on Kirara, and circling the huge beast. She'd managed to get her boomerang Hiraikotsu and was throwing it with as much force as she could. It nicked and scratched the creature, but otherwise did nothing.  
  
'The Balrog can only be defeated by magic...' She remembered reading that in a book from the library. 'Magic...' Kagome growled and pulled her bow from her sholder, nitching an arrow, and aiming for the hulking beasts head. Just as she was sbout to shoot, the creature reared back and spewed a pillar of flame towards one of the biggest buildings in town...Sango's business.  
  
The other Taijiya's hadn't even been able to get their gear on before the blast was fired. Kagome stared in horror as the building went up in flame. No one could have survived the attack... She glanced back at Sango to see her frozen with Kirara, staring at what was once her home. Kagome turned her gaze back to the creature as it finished it's breath. Her eyes glowed dangerously, and she raised her bow once more. But as she set her mark, a light blue glow shone on the end of the arrow. She didn't notice it as she let the arrow fly.  
  
If flew true to it's mark, and the light wraped around the whole arrow, the energy building as it slammed into the creatures head. It exploded nearly instantly, and small flakes of ash fell gently where it had once stood. She noticed that the ash wasn't burning, and decided to try her luck on the burning building. She turned her gaze towards that and notched another arrow. Setting her sites she noticed the light on the arrowhead, but paid no heed. She let it fly, and the energy built around it again. It smashed through the fire and blew the rest out, completely revealing the burned building.   
  
Without looking to see Sango's reaction, she ran back towards the staires and through the castle doors, and the gates. She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the shouts of the guards as she passed, racing towards Sango's home. She quickly reached it, and slowed her pace to a trot, then to a walk. Sango sat with Kirara, untransformed, and stared at the wreck in awe. Kagome slowly walked up to stand next to her friend as she took in the damage as well. The blaze hadn't been there for long, but there was no sign of life. She put her hand on her best friends sholder and looked at her, trying to erase the image before her.  
  
"I'm so sorry Sango..." She muttered to her friend, her eyes tearing as she watched her friends expression change from one of awe to one of deep pain.  
  
"E-everyone...everyone was there...no one survived....my whole family..." She muttered as her eyes filled with tears. Kagome kneeled next to her and wrapped her arms around her friend as she sobbed into her sholder.   
  
"I'm sure there's someone there..." Kagome muttered to her as the sobs wracked her friends frame. Kirara sat at their side, closing her eyes and letting out a heart wrenching mew for her only family.  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
That morning, in the Northern Lands...  
  
"Come on monk! If you don't hurry it up were going to miss the ship!" Inuyasha called over his sholder, dragging the two kids behind him, literaly. Hitori had thought it would be fun to play a game of 'drag' with Shippo. So, he let Inuyasha grab his tail and drag him by it, while he held Shippo's hands dragging him along behind him. Inuyasha was all too happy to drag them through even the rockiest turrain, making sure they hit every rock, bump or anything else these roads had to offer as punishment. Still the little demons weren't muttering a word of discomfort. Miroku sighed and walked up beside him, glancing down at the miniture demons.  
  
"Um...don't you think that would hurt them?" He asked, glancing between the silver haired boy and the demons. Inuyasha dragged them over a pearticularly sharp rock.  
  
"Only if they say it out loud." He shrugged. Suddelny he stopped and stared ahead, his mouth nearly hitting the floor. Miroku walked ahead a few paces before turning and blinking back at the hanyou.  
  
"What is it?" He asked as if nothing were there.  
  
"You said we were riding on a ship Miroku. You didn't mention we were going to fly on the most luxurious ship in all the lands!" He gapped at the towering ship as it's propelers blew lazily in the wind. Miroku rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"Ok so I left out a minor detail. But it's better than nothing right?" He shrugged. Inuyasha smirked.  
  
"Oh hell yeah..." He snorted as he dragged the gapping kids after him.  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
And so, Miroku came up with a brilliant plan to smuggle the demons aboard. Hitori and Shippo gave up thir game after Inuyasha threw them in a berrel of caviar, so they smelled like fish, but managed to get clean. Miroku hid the boys tails under small capes, and gave Shippo boots to hide his feet. But poor Inuyasha had to get the most humiliating disguise if them all...  
  
"Hello kind sir." Miroku greeted the guard at the entrance with a bow. "I would offer to bless this ship if you gave me, my children, and my grandfather a ride to the Southern Lands." He smiled. Inuyasha stood next to him, haunched over to look like an old man with a large cape draped over him, so no one could see his face, and they were lucky they couldn't. His teeth were bared and he surpressed the snarl just on the edge of his tongue. Shippo and Hitori stood on the other side of miroku, bowing politely to the guard. The man eyed them a moment before shrugging and motioning inside. Miroku bowed deeply.  
  
"Thank you very much sir." He said as he walked past. Hitori and Shippo bowed as well.  
  
"Thank you kind sir." They said in unision, and followed Miroku inside.  
  
"KEH!" Inuyasha spat and pushed by the guard, who nearly fell over.  
  
They walked through the entrance hall, ignoring the stares they recived from anyone within a five foot radius, and made their way to the guest rooms. They passed the guards standing near the entrance to their destination, and all the while getting the eyes from anyone they passed.   
  
Inuyasha couldn't see from his position under the cape. He could only see the floor, and Miroku's sandald feet, which he followed. Soon they reached the rooms, and entered an unoccupied one. As soon as the door was shut, Inuyasha threw off the cape and glared at it as it fell to the floor.  
  
"I'm never doing that again." He growled, his eyes never leaving the cloth. Miroku smiled at the dog-boys angry mood.  
  
"Why not Inuyasha? I thought you make a good grandpa. Mind you a very grumpy old grandpa." He said in all seriousness. Inuyasha's withering glare was moved to him, and picked up a couple hundred degrees.  
  
"If I ever hear the word 'you' and 'old grandpa' in the same sentence coming from you, I won't hesitate to drop a wall on you're perverted head." He growled angrilly. Miroku just smiled.   
  
"I've never been on an airship before!" Shippo piped up as he jumped onto the top of one of the very luxurious bunkbeds. "Espeacially one as pretty as this!" He cried happily, bouncing on the bed.  
  
"Neither have I!" Hitori shouted from his place in one of the dressers."This shoud be fun!" He laughed.  
  
"You know what's funny?" Miroku whispered to Inuyasha after he'd calmed down a little. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Puppies usually get motion sickness when they ride anything that moves, but they get over it soon enough." He told him. Inuyasha slanted hm a confused look.  
  
"And why should I know that?" He asked. Miroku motioned to Hitori, who was rumaging in the jewelry cabinet.   
  
"Isn't he a puppy?" He quiped, rubbing his chin thoughfully. Inuyasha froze. If it was true for human dogs, then maybe it was true for demons too...he got airsick on his first ride, so it probably was true.  
  
"Great. Just perfect!"   
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
Many fights over bunks, growling, and a sick puppy later...  
  
Inuyasha pushed open the door to their room. Miroku had taken guard over the pups, one immobile, and one happily bouncing fox so Inuyasha could finally get some peace. Quietly he walked out of the room and down the hall. He wanted to check out what this ship had to offer, and maybe get lunch. He opened the door seperating these rooms from the rest of the ship, and walked into a small living area for the guards. There were a couple chairs, some rugs, and a lttle fireplace. He shrugged and walked through the next door.  
  
He came into a large room, with many people walking about, all of them snobby rich royals. From the back of his mind one name flew forward, and he was half hoping that she was amoung these people. He tried sniffing, but there were too many scents to shift through, so he just shook his head and turned to the nearest door, exiting the loud room.   
  
At once he was bombarded with a strong wind, and turned to find himself on deck. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to the railing on the ships bow, and clutched it as he leaned over to see the land below. They were flying very high, and it was nearly sunset. He hadn't noticed how fast time went by as they were riding the ship. He jumped onto the railing and griped a rope next to him, making sure he couldn't fall.   
  
Breathing deeply, he let his eyes close for a breif second, taking in the scents of the world in the clouds. Opening his eyes, he turned to the right on impulse, and watched a flock of geese fly by, honking and flapping. And then it hit him. He was free; for now at least. He wouldn't have to work for Naraku anymore, and he'd gotten out fast enough that it would take a few days for the guards to catch up with him.   
  
He decided to take his mind off those thoughts and focus on something different. Kagome was all that came to mind. How had she changed? Did she still look the same? Was she still perky and smiley? He sighed and watched as the sun slowly set, leaving the world in darkness. But the problem was, he just remembered what day it was...  
  
"Oh shit!"  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
"Everyone off! The ship is docked and preparing to leave for the Western kingdom!" A loud voice cried over the speakers on the ship. Miroku walked off the ship, carrieing a very green Hitori, as Shippo sat on his sholder.  
  
"I don't like ships..." The hanyou said, rolling over in Miroku's arms and burying his face in his robes. Miroku smiled.  
  
"I only happens the first time." He told the pup. Hitori just groaned.Miroku looked up at the surroundings. "So... Here we are. In the Southern Lands. And where is that dog-boy?" He muttered seaching for the boy.  
  
"Miroku! Over here!" A voice hissed from behind some crates. Miroku looked over and cocked his head. Why was he so secretive now? He turned and followed the voice, nearly jusping out of his robes when there was a black haired boy sulking behind them.  
  
"Um, sir? I'm not sure if we've met." He said, squinting in the darkness to try and see the boys features. He scoffed.  
  
"With all you're knowlage I'd thought you'd know monk." He growled, but with a human body he didn't have the canine sound to it. Miroku raised an eyebrow. Yup. Definatly Inuyasha.  
  
"You're human..." He muttered. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.  
  
"Thank you for stating the obvious. Didn't you know that all hanyou's who have human blood, change into a human at least once a month? My times the New Moon." He growled. Miroku nodded in understanding.  
  
"Ah, sorry. Must have slipped my mind." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Inuyasha pushed passed him.  
  
"Come on, were almost there." He said, walking towards the town. Miroku grinned.  
  
"Must know the way by heart..." He wispered, following the hanyou turned human, pups and all.  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
*  
  
Sango sniffed as she filled a small berrel with water from the stream she lived by. They had searched the ruins of her home, and found that the only survivor was Kohaku, her little brother. But he was burned badly, and needed constant care. Kagome had managed to get her a room with an old couple who needed someone to do chores around the house. They agreed to let her and her brother stay, and in return she took care of the chores.  
  
Quietly she stood and walked back towards the house. She shouldn't be out this late, but Kohaku needed water. Kirara folowed her on her heels, mewing soflty.   
  
"Sango!"   
  
She turned towards the airfield, squinting to see in the darkness. There was nothing she could distinguish from the light provided. 'I must be going insane...' She thought shaking her head. Turning back towards the house she began walking when something fell on her sholder. She narrowed her eyes and dropped the berrel, grabbing the hand and throwing whoever was attatched to it over her soulder.   
  
Whatever it was let out a yelp and fell before her. She pulled a dagger from the folds of her kimono and kneeled quickly, putting it to the persons throat.  
  
"Tell me who you are and I maybe I won't slit you're throat." She hissed. The person glared up at her.  
  
"Can't you see who I am Sango?" He asked. She pushed the dagger closer to his throat.  
  
"Don't say my name so familiarly." She growled.  
  
"Ah, Inuyasha. Is this the maiden you were talking about?" Another voice came up behind her. She sat up quickly, glaring at the man who seemed to have two chidren, one in his arms, the other on his sholder. Her eyes widend. 'Inuyasha...?'  
  
"I-Inuyasha..." She muttered, looking down at the man beneth her. He smirked.  
  
"Who else?" He said. Her face broke into a full blown grin.  
  
"Inuyasha!!" She shouted, throwing the dagger away and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Where have you been?! Kagome's been so worried!" She laughed. He sat up, bringing the girl up with him. He put his hands on her sholders and pushed her off him.  
  
"Slaving away in a demon mine. Literaly." He told her grinning.   
  
"Don't I get a hug too?" Miroku asked dejectedly, putting the wiggling wolf-dog on the ground, Shippo jumping down to stand next to him. Sango and Inuyasha stood, and she she turned to him, eyeing his outstreached hands.  
  
"I don't even know you." She stated turning back to Inuyasha. Miroku sighed and dropped his arms.   
  
"He gets all the pretty girls..." He muttered. Shippo and Hitori exchainged looks, and toddled over to stand beside the hanyou.  
  
"You don't know how long Kagome's been waiting for you!" Sango told Inuyasha. "You don't know how boring it is without you!" She grinned. He smirked.  
  
"So, how is Kagome?" He asked. Sango's eyes saddened.  
  
"She's not even allowed to walk around the castle anymore. She's confined to her room, and I'm forbidden to visit her." She told him sadly. Inuyasha turned and glared at the castle.  
  
"Why that fuc-"  
  
"Language!" Miroku called from behind Sango, in just the perfect spot.  
  
"PERVERT!!" *Smack*  
  
Miroku was now on the ground carresing his cheek with a dreamy look. Sango stood above him, glaring down at his crumpled form. She turned her glare to a biwildered Inuyasha.  
  
"You didn't tell me he was a pervert!" She growled. He shrugged and made towards the castle, but a tug on his pant leg stopped him.  
  
"Inuyasha...can we stay with you?" Shippo asked, looking up at him with eyes only he could muster. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why do you want to stay with me?" He asked. Shippo turned to Hitori, who walked forward.  
  
"'Cause we like you. We'd rather stay with you than some pervert." He looked up at him, his eyes pleading. Inuyasha sighed.  
  
"Fine. I guess you can. But one smart remark and you're with him." He said jutting a thumb in Miroku's direction, who was cerently being pumuled by Sango. The two demon boys broke into grins.  
  
"We promise we'll be good!" They chorused. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned to the castle.   
  
'Now to get Kagome out of there...'  
  
*  
  
*~^~*  
  
* 


	7. Escape

**A/N:** I'm SOOOOOOOO Sorry! My computer broke, and I couldn't get on the Internet, so I had to redo everything, but I saved my stories (YAY) but on a better note, I HAVE MICROSOFT WORD! ^-^ Ok, on to the story. Oh, and Happy New Year!!

**_P.S:_** **Trinity Kirara:** I only changed the spelling of a certain 'someone's' name, so you know who he is ^-^

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Inuyasha...

**Chapter VII**

**Escape**

***~^~***

The creaking of old wooden boards filled the cold dismal air, the room seemed frozen and it was nearly too dark to see anything, dead or alive. The only source of illumination was a small spark of flickering flame held in cold, white, pale hands. Those hands held no candle, nor a holder; the flame suspended above them, flickering in the light wind coming through the porthole on the left side of the ship. No moon floated majestically in the air that night, illuminating everything it touched. It was the new moon.

Suddenly, golden light flowed into the room, the flame in the cold hands disappearing with a wave as the figure holding it looked up, clothed in a black cloak. Someone stepped through the open door, smirking as the figure turned a cold glare on him.

"I'm sorry Kikyô, did I startle you?" He asked pleasantly, leaning on the doorframe.

"I am never startled by the mere opening of a door Naraku." The figure replied tersely. Naraku just shrugged.

"I'm paying you to do this job Kikyô, you are one of the last Necromancers." He said as rubbed his chin. Kikyô glared icily.

"I may be 'one' of the last, but my kind will never die out completely. We live on in scum like you, with cold black hearts." She told him, her expression never changing. Naraku smiled down at her.

"Now, now. You don't want that heart totally diluted do you? If that happens you wi-"

"I know!" She cut him off sharply, a flicker of pain passing through her eyes just before it was replaced by her usual cold expression. "That is why I volunteered to kill that son of a demon." Her gaze was now trained on the creaking floorboards beneath her. 

"Ah, there's the Kikyô I know. You were almost as you were before." He chuckled darkly, exiting the room with a smirk, closing the door behind him; rendering the room in darkness once again. If he'd stayed a few seconds longer, he would have seen the cold tear running down Kikyô's cheek, her eyes never changing.

***~^~***

  
It was pitch black, cold night, in the Southern kingdom the perfect time in the world to raid a building, or kidnap someone. When not even the wind was blowing, or the townsfolk wondering the streets. Where all the night creatures wandered the Earth, and the favorite time for a demon to go hunting. It was the New Moon.  
Inuyasha _hated_ the New Moon.  
  
"Inuyasha, if you keep up that ranting we'll never get in undetected." Sango sighed as she followed the angry half-demon, a perverted monk, and two demon kids through the streets of the Southern kingdom. After she'd punished the monk she followed him down the road and figured that he was trying to kidnap the princess, which was a _good_ thing for everyone. Except the king maybe...  
  
"Keh!" He growled, but his ranting stopped for the time being. She'd been surprised to learn that Hanyou did transform, and had decided that would be a helpful if they crossed a bad guy Hanyou. And amazingly, for once in his lifetime Inuyasha actually had a plan that might work, though he didn't give them much of a hint about it.  
  
Miroku opened his mouth to add but clamped it shut when an icy glare was sent his way. He just shrugged and continued entertaining himself with the back view of Sango's body. Soon he was grinning perversely and gone to some world in which all perverts went when they zoned out. The two kids, one in which was sitting on his shoulder, gave him a hopeless look.  
  
Inuyasha strode ahead of all of them. Before now, the only one's who knew about his monthly transformation were his brother, and Kagome, who'd found out on accident. He was late to leave one day when they were playing a game of chess, and had transformed as the sun set, only noticing it when his senses lowered to a human's, but by that time it was too late. He hadn't noticed the decreasing of his yuki, nor did he notice the gradual lowering of his Hanyou senses.  
  
Kagome... how had she changed? Was her personality the same? Was she still fun to hang around? Did she still like his ears? _Only one way to find out...._ He thought, looking up at the huge castle. He smiled a bit, something he hadn't done in nearly five years. Shippo suddenly ended his thoughts abruptly as he jumped on his shoulder, pointing ahead.  
  
"Look! There are guards over there! I don't think we should go in that way." He told them, gripping Inuyasha's haori tightly. Said Hanyou turned human looked up quickly, cursed, and grabbed Miroku's arm, pulling him, along with Sango, into a dark ally. He peered around the corner and glared angrily at two guards who were pacing in front of the castle gates.  
  
"What do we do now?" Sango asked, glancing at the houshi to make sure he didn't try anything. Inuyasha pulled away from the corner to join his friends near the back of the ally.   
  
"We'll find out soon enough." Miroku muttered, looking around the ally.  
  
"Don't tell me you haven't figured out a way to get to Kagome in all these years Sango." Inuyasha commented wryly. Sango glanced up at him and smacked her forehead.   
  
"Why didn't I think of that sooner?" She groaned quietly. She looked down at the little cat sitting silently in the dark beneath her feet. When she noticed she was being watched, Kirara looked up at her master and mewed softly. "Okay Kirara, let's get Kagome out of here!" Sango smiled at the cat.  
  
Kirara jumped up and mewed, flames enveloping her small form and transforming her body into that of a saber tiger. She hissed as the fire dissolved, and turned to her master, as she climbed on board. She turned to her companions and raised an eyebrow.   
  
"What're you waiting for? Hop on!" She told them. Miroku took a step forward, but Inuyasha's arm flew out, stopping him in his tracks.  
  
"You're not coming. You stay here with the brats and distract the guards while we go get Kagome." He ordered, climbing onto Kirara's back and gripping her fur so he wouldn't fall off. Miroku crossed his arms and resembled a pouting child.   
  
"But I want to meet this maiden Kagome as well" He whined. Inuyasha snorted and pointed to where the guards were pacing.  
  
"Distract them." Was all he said. Miroku grumbled, but did as he was told, taking the two demon kids with him.    
  
After Miroku had disappeared around the corner Sango leaned forward on Kirara and the giant demon cat shot upward, straight towards Kagome's balcony.  
  
_I hope that damn houshi doesn't do anything-stupid…_Inuyasha thought, gripping Kirara's fur tighter.

*~^~*

Kagome sighed and fell onto her bed, completely exhausted. The king had decided it was time for her to begin training with a bow and arrow. So, before the sun even rose he sent a servant to wake her and send her to the courtyard to practice. Her trainer was Kaede, who used to own a shop in town, but now she worked for the castle, training people with a bow.   
  
She rolled over and stared at her ceiling, trying to make out shapes in the stone of the roof. Other than sleeping, eating, and now training, it was very boring here in the castle. She'd even considered naming all the animal shapes she found on her ceiling.  
  
Right now she just wanted Sango to come around and maybe play a game of chess with her. It was at least entertaining…  
  
Just as she turned to her side to fall asleep (not bothering to change) there was a tap at her window. She blinked and turned around to face it, wondering if she was psychic or something. Getting out of bed she padding over to open it, no one other than Sango would ever come to her balcony window.   
  
She opened the door as quietly as she could, and peered outside just to make sure. She couldn't see anything out there, only three black blobs. One was standing by what looked like the railing to her balcony, a small figure on its shoulder, and the other was standing behind it. The figure with the blob on their shoulder waved, and she beckoned them in. The candlelight from her desk didn't even illuminate their faces.   
  
She stepped aside and let them in, curious to see who Sango had brought with her. Said demon exterminator entered, the other following. Once they were inside Kagome shut the door, and Sango lit more of the candles around her room, only one candle wasn't enough to see a person in a room this size.   
  
After locking the door to the balcony Kagome turned around and smiled at the newcomer. But as soon as she saw his face her mouth dropped to the floor and she stared like a gaping fish.  
  
The boy fidgeted slightly under her penetrating gaze and smiled a wobbly smile.  
  
"Hey…you remember me?" He asked, looking into her eyes. She answered by tackling him to the ground, her arms wrapped around his chest, nearly bursting his lungs.  
  
"Inuyasha!!" She said happily, holding him tighter. He patted her back after a moment, and tried to push her off of him. His human body could only go so long without air.  
  
"Kagome…. can't…breath…!" He rasped. She quickly pulled back and smiled sheepishly. Sango stood behind them, grinning in amusement at Kagome's greeting.   
  
"Where have you been?! I've been waiting for you for nearly five years!" She said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a look that said 'talk-boy'. He fidgeted again under her gaze and stood up, walking over to sit on her bed.  
  
"Well… after Kagura came to get me she knocked me unconscious and brought me to the Northern Lands to work as a slave. And I did; till I could get out, which was a couple days ago." He told her. Kagome looked at him as if she expected him to say more. Once again he began fidgeting. "What?" He asked defensively. Kagome grinned.  
  
"That's a good one Inuyasha, a slave! Never heard that one!" She said, looking as if she was holding back laughter. Inuyasha looked at her in all seriousness.  
  
"It's true Kagome." He said flatly. Kagome stopped her laughing and looked at him, his serious expression and the way he told her couldn't have been a lie. She blinked, her expression suddenly turning into that of concern. Quickly she closed the distance between her and the Hanyou-turned-human and kneeled in front of him. He blushed slightly at the quick change in proximity and leaned back a bit. Her concerned gaze penetrated his own, making his face flame even more.  
  
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you? You didn't walk all the way here with a bad wound did you?" She asked, looking at the red of his haori trying to spot any dark red spots.  
  
"Y-yes, I'm fine." He assured her, leaning back a bit more. She sighed in relief.  
  
"Good… I hope those people didn't do anything horrible to you." She muttered standing up and turning to Sango, who had been watching the scene in front of her with growing amusement. _  
  
You don't know the half of it…_He thought.  
  
Sango looked over to him. "So are we ready to take Kagome away from this place?" She asked. Kagome smiled brightly. "You guys came to get me out?!" She said excitedly. Inuyasha and Sango both nodded. "Great! Let's get out of this place!"

*~^~*

"Think of the most beautiful girl you're mind can dream up, and Shippo can show her to you!" Hitori grinned, as the guards all exchanged excited looks. Even Miroku was sitting on the sidelines, nearly drooling as a transformed Shippo turned to the side, a beautiful princess in extremely skimpy clothes. The only fault was a bushy tail that waved behind the kitsune. But the guards seemed to be ignoring that…  
  
"Change into princess Kagome!" One of the men shouted suddenly, and the others agreed. Now Hitori got nervous. Neither he, nor Shippo had seen the princess. He fidgeted slightly.  
  
"Um…we don't really know what she looks like…" He told them sheepishly. "We just entered the kingdom yesterday, and haven't caught a glimpse of her…" He hoped they wouldn't be angry.  
  
"Aw, that damn king. He won't let her out of the castle, so no one can see her…" One grumbled, the others muttered things as well. Hitori sighed in relief, and just as he looked up he saw a flash from one of the balconies. Grinning he turned to Shippo, who was making kissy faces to one of the guards, and winked. The fox demon transformed into his balloon form, Miroku getting the hint quickly, both the monk, and the demon kids waved at the guards.  
  
"Nice talking to ya! We're off to kidnap the princess-oops." Hitori covered his mouth and looked at the monk apologetically.  
  
"What?!" All the guards yelled in unison, standing up and grapping their spears and swords; whatever weapon they had, and chased after the threesome. 

"Go tell the others that princess Kagome is being kidnapped!" One of the men ordered, grabbing a bow and notching an arrow. He aimed and shot, hitting the poor kitsune's back. The fox wailed in pain and detransformed, falling to the ground. Miroku landed before the kit and caught him easily, pulling the arrow from his side he began running down the street, Hitori following.   
  
"Great, I had to open my big, stupid, idiotic mouth…" The demon Hanyou growled, glaring in self-hate.   
  
"Don't worry, Inuyasha will meet up with us before the guards have time for reinforcements." He told the boy. He looked down at the unconscious kit in his arms and winced. That might take a while to heal, even for a demon.   
  
Hitori suddenly cursed and stopped beside him, making him halt as well. In front of them stood five guards, all carrying spears, swords, and bows. Miroku cursed and turned around to flee back the way they came, but that way was blocked as well.   
  
"Miroku, what do we do?" Hitori asked, gripping the bottom of the monks' long robes.  Glancing down at the frightened boy he knelt down, handing him the kit.  
  
"Watch Shippo while I take them out." He informed the boy, who nodded unsurely, holding his unconscious friend close to him.  
  
Miroku stood and smirked as the guards closed in around them. "You should never mess with a monk on a mission." He said, dodging a guards' spear and slamming his staff into the guards' stomach. Turning quickly he blocked another's sword, using his sandaled foot to push him away so he could block another sword coming his way.   
  
He moved his staff down a bit to gain access to the man's face, most of which was hidden in a helmet, and slugged him in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. He turned around and blocked another sword, barely dodging a spear sent his way.   
  
_If I keep this up there won't be much of me left when Inuyasha finally arrives…_ He thought darkly, dodging another spear.   
  
"Oi Miroku! Grab the brats and let's get out of here!" A voice suddenly ordered. He looked up and was met with Sango on a flying tiger, with Inuyasha and another girl, who was looking at him nervously. Quickly grabbing Hitori and Shippo, Miroku followed Kirara as she slowly came closer to the ground. When she was in his reach, he grabbed a tuft of fur and held on as tightly as he could. Kirara growled softly and rose higher from the ground. The guards tried to keep up with the cat, but she was too fast.  
  
"Hurry Kirara, before they use their arrows!" Sango whispered to her companion. Kirara growled in acknowledgement and flew faster, Miroku dangling from her side.  
  
The guards around the kingdom used their arrows to try and get Kirara down, but she was just too high and too fast, making their efforts worthless. Soon the small group was out of range, and descending to let Miroku rest his arm. There wasn't enough room on the cats back to carry anyone else.   
  
Kirara landed with a soft 'thud', and Miroku could finally let go of the giant cat. He dropped to the ground and sat, caressing his aching arm. He had to carry both of the demon kids, along with his staff, for about half a mile ride on Kirara. That would make anyone's arm hurt.   
  
Sango slid off her companions back, waited for the other two to get off, and patted Kirara's head.  
  
"Good job my friend." She told her, and the cat reverted to that of a small kitten. Miroku looked up at her with an expression that could only be described as 'betrayed'.  
  
"Didn't I do a good job?" He asked, rubbing his arm and putting the Youkai kids down in front of him. Sango gave him a dry look.  
  
"The guards still came after us." She stated. Miroku sighed and muttered something under his breath.  
  
Kagome and Inuyasha walked over to the monk, and Kagome kneeled before him, concern written in her expression.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked. He looked up and smiled.  
  
"Ah, at least someone cares for my welfare." He said happily, and before she could protest, he'd grabbed her hands and looked very grave. "You must be princess Kagome I assume?" He asked. Kagome nodded, confused at his actions. "Well then Kagome-hime, will you do me the honor, of baring my child?" He said, face serious.  
  
Kagome slapped him.  
  
But not before Inuyasha slugged him on the head.  
  
The monk fell backwards, unconscious. Kagome's face flamed, and she turned around, glaring at her Hanyou friend.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me he was a lecher?" She growled. Inuyasha shrugged, a hopeless look on his face.  
  
"I only thought he did that to pretty girls." He said. Kagome stiffened.  
  
"What do you mean _pretty girls_?!" She shouted. He looked at her innocently.  
  
"You're not pretty." He stated. Sango had to hold the raven-haired girl back before she smashed the boys' skull in.  
  
"Hey you guys shouldn't be fighting!" Hitori's voice cut in from where he stood next to the fallen Shippo. "Shippo looks dead, and all you guys can do is fight!" He shouted angrily.  
  
Kagome stopped struggling and looked over to the boy, just now noticing the fallen kitsune. Sango let her go, and she went over to him, along with Inuyasha and Sango. Miroku was still lying unconscious, Kirara nudging him to wake him up.  
  
Kagome kneeled near the boy, looking at the bleeding wound in his side concerned. Taking part of her kimono, she ripped off a strip long enough to wrap around the boys stomach. Picking him up carefully, she wrapped the makeshift bandage around him, tying it off tightly. Shippo flinched, but did not wake up. She stood up, cradling the kit in her arms.   
  
"We have to get to a village or something. It might take this wound a while to heal." She told her companions. Sango looked at the small kit and frowned.  
  
"Yes, I agree with Kagome. Even for a Youkai that wound is pretty bad. He's also very young, so it may slow his healing." She said. Inuyasha scoffed.  
  
"I don't see any villages nearby, do you?" He said sarcastically, gesturing around the area. "Well camp out here until don, when I get my powers back and it isn't so dark. We could travel faster that way." He ordered, taking off his haori, leaving only his undershirt and hakima, and throwing it over to Kagome, who caught it awkwardly in her free hand.   
  
"Use that to keep the brat warm, I'll go look for some fire wood with the monk." And with that, he grabbed the awakening Miroku and dragged him off into the darkness.  
Kagome blinked at the boys' kindness to the kit but shook it off and wrapped the kit in the haori. With that done she set him on the ground gently, telling the other kid to look over him. Sango walked over to her and smiled.   
  
"Want to help me get dinner ready? Even though we don't have a fire yet we can still get things ready." She asked. Kagome smiled and nodded, following her friend over to the pack of supplies she always brought with her. They'd grabbed it at the old couples' house before they went after Miroku and the kids. Sango was doubtful about leaving her brother alone, but the couple promised to take care of him once they saw Kagome and Inuyasha. She couldn't figure out why though…  
  
Soon, the girls had gotten out everything they needed for a meal, and were now waiting for the boys to return with the firewood. So while they were waiting, they decided to do something to pass the time.  
  
"I spy, with my little eye something…" Kagome put a finger to her lips in thought, looking around for something other than a gray blob. "White!" She grinned. Sango looked around for the specified color, squinting in the darkness.   
  
"Um… is it Hiraikotsu?" She asked, looking back at Kagome. She snapped her fingers.  
  
"Darn! On the first try too!" She said. Sango grinned.  
  
"Okay my turn." She looked around in the darkness. "I spy, with my little eye…" She caught site of something in the distance. "Two strange people we both know." She turned to Kagome with a grin.  
  
"Inuyasha and Miroku!" She exclaimed, standing up and waving to the two boys who were loaded down with wood. "We got the food ready! All we need to do is cook it!" She told them. Inuyasha came into view and scoffed, dropping his pile of wood next to the rock that Hiraikotsu was propped against.   
  
"Good. Less work for us." He muttered plopping down next to a small pit the girls had dug while they were gone. Miroku dropped his bunch of wood in the pit, and looking thoughtful, he kneeled next to it.  
  
"How are we going to light it? I don't really want to rub sticks together for hours." He said. "Do we have any flint?" He asked. Kagome smiled.  
  
"Sango always brings flint along." She said, looking at her friend as she reached into her robes and pulled out said substance. Soon they had a fire going, and dinner cooking.  
Sango stirred the broth and looked up at her friends. Inuyasha was looking at the soup as if he'd rather eat dirt, Miroku just looked thoughtful, Kagome was making sure the kids had a place to sleep, and Hitori was just staring into space.   
  
In other words, everyone was bored to death.   
  
She sighed and sat back.  
  
"You guys want to do something? And why are you looking at the soup like that Inuyasha?" She asked, eyeing him.  
  
"I just hope you cook better than the monk. He made the same thing. It tasted like shit." He snorted. Miroku looked at him dryly.  
  
"I had to use vegetables that were growing around us you idiot." He told him. Kagome ignored them and smiled at her friend.   
  
"Sure! What do you want to do?" She asked. Sango looked thoughtful.  
  
"How about a joint story? I've heard about them from traveling soldiers that passed through the village." She began. "It's where someone starts a story and the others add onto it until the story ends. Wanna try it?" She asked.   
  
"Yeah!" Kagome exclaimed. "Can I start?"  
  
"Sure!" Sango smiled.  
  
"Okay…um, once upon a time there was a girl named Kiri, and nobody liked her cause she had magical powers and they thought she was evil. The only person who didn't mind her was a boy named Crono, who had magical powers too. So one day while they were walking in their village and she accidentally bumped into him." She told them happily.   
  
"Okay Miroku you go next!"   
  
Miroku cleared his throat and smiled. "The boy had never seen such beauty in his life, and helped the girl get to her feet. 'You are the most beautiful creature on the face of the Earth' He told her. She looked up at him with beautiful sky blue eyes and smiled. 'You are the most charming person in this world' she whispered, leaning so close that her lips nearly touched his. He-"  
  
"Stepped on her foot!" Sango cut in, saving Hitori's innocent mind. "And she jumped back. He looked at her and said sorry. She said it was okay, and turned around saying goodbye. Before she had a chance to walk away there was a loud rumble from the other side of town. They both went to investigate, and there stood a gigantic Youkai centipede." She told her part. "Okay You're turn Inuyasha."   
  
Said Hanyou scoffed, but continued the story. "Crono took out his sword and jumped up at the demon, impaling it and watching it squirm. The girl used her magical powers and made the demon freeze, so the boy could take it out easier. He cut off each of its legs one, by, one and then cut it's body into sections. Because its body was frozen he didn't get centipede guts all over himself. When he finished he used his magical powers to make its body disappear." He looked up. Everyone stared at him as if he was insane. He fidgeted.   
  
"What?! I told my part!" He said defensively.   
  
"Ah, okay. You're turn Hitori." Kagome said, smiling at the kid.   
  
"Okay!" He grinned. "After the battle the boy invited the girl to his house to talk about their powers. It turned out the girl was an ancient Miko, come back to destroy an evil force. So, he asked if he could help and she agreed, after a lot of fighting. The next day they set out to go kill the evil guy, and met a…. um… a… monk! Yeah a monk by the name of…" He looked over to Miroku. "Zuru! And as soon as he saw Kiri he asked her to bear his child!" The little boy grinned as Inuyasha began cracking up, and Miroku glared at him. "Okay Kagome, you're turn again."   
  
She grinned; this was getting interesting. "So after Crono beat the heck out of the monk he joined them to the village. There they met a girl wearing black clothes and a huge boomerang. She was fighting another centipede demon, and a soon as she threw it the giant demons head was cut off and it died. She turned to the group and they asked for her name. Her name was…uh… Hane! And soon she joined their group also." She grinned at her friend, who grinned back. "You're turn Miroku." She eyed him wearily.  
  
And so, they played that game until dinner was ready. When they finished they continued. The group in the story ended up fighting many battles, curtsy of Inuyasha. They defeated their enemy, and had many children, one curtsy of Miroku. The story ended happily with them all living happily ever after.   
  
"The next village shouldn't be that far away," Kagome said, curling up beside a rock.   
  
"We'll get there quickly with Inuyasha and Kirara." She yawned and pulled her kimono sleeves around her arms.   
  
It was cold out, but there wasn't anything else to keep her warm. Shippo was using a blanket that Sango had brought along, and Inuyasha was back in his haori. She shivered slightly and curled up more. Suddenly she felt something warm fall over her body. Looking up she saw Inuyasha, wearing his undershirt once again, sitting up on the rock and staring into the distance.  
  
"Inuyasha? Don't you need this?" She asked, pulling the haori into her arms. "It's cold out." She looked concerned. He scoffed.  
  
"Keh, I don't need it. We don't need you getting sick while were out here." He grumbled, turning away from her. She smiled and hugged the garment to her chest.   
  
"Thanks Inuyasha." She muttered, laying back down and covering herself with the cloak. Inuyasha sighed and shook his head.  
  
_The things I do for friends…_

*~^~* 


	8. Aftermath

**A/N**: An update! A fast one! Yay! Oh, and here's something I found out a while ago but forgot about it till now ^-^ **Inuyasha's father is in the third movie!!** Sorry just had to say that ^^;;; I couldn't help but put a couple of my original characters in this part. But don't worry! They won't show up that often. Enjoy ^-^

**Disclaimer: **……………………..

Chapter VIII 

**Aftermath**

***~^~***

"**SHE WHAT!**" 

The voice thundered across the village and into the nearby hills, causing peasants to stop in their everyday activities to turn and glance at the castle, sitting majestically on the hill, it's flags blowing in the harsh wind. Inside that beautiful castle was a guard and his king; who, for once, was not smiling like a madman. But, the guard wished with all his soul that he was.

"I-I'm very sorry my lord. But we could not catch her! We had half of the guards nearby look for them, but she was not to be found my lord!" He told him, cringing beneath the kings' angry gaze.

"Who is responsible for her capture?!" He snarled, gripping the wood of his throne tightly. 

"Um, we found from the guards patrolling the gates that a monk and two demon kids had distracted them while a woman and a man, along with the princess, rode away on a flying tiger. We managed to wound one of the demon kids but they still got away." The guard bowed low, closing his eyes and hoping that the king was not going to send him to the dungeon. 

It was not his fault they had gotten away! He was inside the castle at the time, watching over the young prince Souta. Or rather, playing wooden soldiers with the boy… He couldn't help it! The little child had come out of his room and wouldn't stop bothering him until he agreed to play with him. When he had asked that he go to his sister to play the young prince shook his head saying she was too tired to play with him. What a sweet little brother…

He shook his head to rid that thought. After a while of no reply, the guard dared a glance at the kings' face. The man seemed to be deep in thought, looking at the far wall, which held the painted mascot. Suddenly his face took on an ugly look of anger, and the guard willed himself not to shy away.

"Sango…" The king snarled. He'd stopped listening after 'flying tiger', knowing exactly who it was that kidnapped the princess. The guard looked at him confusedly.

"My lord…?" He muttered. 

"Send out riders to the wolf kingdom. Tell them that princess Kagome has been kidnapped," He smirked, unnerving the poor guard to no end. "I'm sure prince Kouga will help us out."

His evil laughter could be heard from the plains, where the grazing horses stopped to stare at the huge palace. 

***~^~***

Kagome was rudely awakened by one of her fated enemies, the one thing she had always hated to be woken up by; and hadn't been for the past five years: A bucket of ice-cold river water.

She spluttered, jerking into a sitting position and rubbing her eyes free of the evil substance. She slowly turned her head, an icy glare sent to the grinning Hanyou before her, back in his original form, gold eyes and silver-white hair in all. 

"Must you always wake me up in the most horrible way possible?" She growled, relieved that she wasn't wearing a white kimono. 

"Yup!" He replied, putting the bucket down beside the extinguished fire. She stood up and stretched, noticing that the others were still asleep. Then she noticed the sun had barely risen. She glared at the back of his head as he used more flint on the fire. 

"Oh what an honor," She said dryly. "You woke me up first, and before the sun came up." She growled. He shrugged.

"No pain, no gain." He said, dusting his hands off as the fire crackled to life once more. "Sango told me about this training you were getting." He said crossing his arms over his chest. As he did so she noticed she still wore his haori. Blushing a bit she took it off (She had somehow ended up wearing it during the night) and handed it back to him, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Uh, thanks." She muttered as he took it from her, putting it back on over his white shirt. "And yes. I have been training. The king saw it necessary that I learn to use a bow and arrow well so I wouldn't get killed. That was after that hulking beast attacked Sango's family…" She glared down at the ground. She still felt it was her fault for their deaths. If she had gotten the creature sooner Sango would still have her family, and Kohaku would be uninjured.

Why did it have to happen to Sango of all people? Sango was kind, reassuring, and helpful. All she ever did was defeat demons that entered the village, and protect the people that needed aid. Sango didn't deserve to have her family and kin ripped away from her. She was another story entirely though…

Inuyasha recognized the look of guilt on his friends face. It was the same as it always had been. Whenever she blamed herself for something she would look at the ground, refusing to meet other peoples gaze. Just like the time he had stolen some bread because he was hungry, and was caught by the guards. She thought it was her fault because her father would not allow her to bring the boy food. He tried to tell her it was his fault for stealing the darn thing, but her stubbornness outweighed his own. He walked over and patted her shoulder softly.

"It's not you're fault Kagome. It's the fault of the monster that attacked her family. Don't go blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens to us." He told her firmly. She looked up and opened her mouth to protest, but cut it off when he shoved a sword into her hands. She looked at the sword confusedly, then back up to him. Once again she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off again. 

"That's Sango's sword. It should be you're length. Come over here so we don't wake them up." He instructed. Kagome pouted, but followed him to where he had indicated. He looked around, clearing the place of branches that could be tripped over, and sharp rocks. Kagome just stood there, sword in hand, trying to figure what it was he was doing. Throwing one last rock into a pile by a tree he turned to her, dusting off his hands and crossing his arms. Kagome just blinked. He growled and walked over to her, expression contorted in annoyance. 

"I'm gonna show you how to use a sword you idiot." He told her. Her eyes widened and she looked at him suspiciously. 

"You're different than you were five years ago…" She pointed out. He glared at her.

"Of course I'm different! No one can stay the same if they were locked up in a slave mine for five years!" He growled. Kagome sighed and looked at the ground.

"I guess you're right." She muttered. His eyes narrowed speculatively, and was surprised when she looked up at him suddenly, a smile on her face. "Now, you said something about a sword?" She asked. He raised an eyebrow but took the sword from her grasp.

"I'm going to show you how to use a sword so you have more than one way to defend yourself if we get separated." He explained himself, drawing the sword from its sheath. He put the sheath by a dead tree, and turned around to face her, the sword grasped tightly in his hands. "If I had my real sword I'd be able to teach you a lot easier. But that's back in the West, so I'll have to settle with Sango's sword for now." He told her, swishing the short sword around a bit. It was the perfect place to train. Somehow Kirara had chosen one of the large fields the East was famous for. The East was also very famous for their horse breeding. The lands were huge so they could accumulate the many herds of horses bred in the region. Kagome herself loved to watch the horses from her window at the castle, though they never did much because they were the ones too young to ride. But every once in a while, something nearby would spook them, and cause them all to go running, and that was beautiful. 

"The West?" She asked, watching in awe as he spun the sword between his thumb and index finger so fast it was a blur. 

"Didn't I tell you? I used to live in the West." He said, flipping the sword and catching it by the blade, not even scratching himself. "My brothers' the lord of the Western Lands. Sesshoumaru." He told her, grabbing the hilt and thrusting it in her direction. "Are you gonna stop yapping and let me show you?" He asked, grabbing the blade near the hilt and handing it to her. She huffed and grabbed it from his hands, holding it a little awkwardly. He sighed and shook his head.

"We have a lot of work to do. You're not even holding it right." He said, walking up behind her and putting his arms lightly on top of hers, grabbing her hands and putting them in the correct position. "You hold it like this, so you can put more strength behind it." She blushed lightly, but followed his instruction. 

"Um…ok." 

"There that's better. Now when you swing, use fluid movements, not choppy. Well, that's what you're supposed to do, but I just go at everything in my way. Even though I haven't touched a sword in a while I still remember some things." He chuckled. 

Soon Kagome forgot about her embarrassment and followed his movements as he moved along with her. She was so deep in concentration that she didn't notice Sango watching as she and Inuyasha practiced. 

She found that the Hanyou was a very good teacher. When she did something wrong though, he wouldn't hesitate to point it out and scold her for it, but she soon got used to it. He would be a good teacher, an evil one but good nonetheless. Soon they were nearly done with the first part, much to Kagome's immense relief.

"There. You're a quick learner." He said, for once being nice. He let go of her arms and she turned around and grinned up at him, pulling the sword close to her chest, careful that it was the blunt edge. 

"Thanks!" She giggled. He just shrugged. 

"Don't want some bandit out there killing you. Then when the king finds out you're dead he'll come after us and behead us." He said casually. Kagome shivered. She couldn't imagine any of her friends getting killed. Even Miroku.

"Ah, and I see you didn't ask permission to use my sword." Said a voice from one of the large rocks near their camp. Kagome jumped in surprise and spun around, nearly dropping the sword and cutting her toes off. When she saw Sango's smug look she blushed and held the sword out to her.

"Ah, sorry. Just practicing." She laughed nervously. Sango chuckled.

"You two look good together." She muttered to no one in particular, taking her sword from Kagome. Inuyasha blushed.

"I was just teaching her to use a sword!" He defended himself, crossing his arms and pouting like a child. Kagome laughed nervously once more.

"So…um… Inuyasha, where are heading to?" She asked, trying to change the subject. 

"Were going to the West. We'll be able to stay there for a while, as long as my brother allows us. Which I highly doubt." He grumbled. Kagome cocked her head.

"Why wouldn't he let his own brother into the West?" She asked, and Sango listened in from behind, also curious. 

"My brother and I aren't on the best terms." He growled. "He hates me because I was the heir to my fathers throne. But he was first born, so that meant he should have been the heir. After my mother died, he allowed me to stay a couple of years, but then ran me out. I never did want the stupid throne anyway, and was all ready to give it to him, but he had to run me out of the kingdom! I'm hoping that when I return he'll allow me to stay for at least a week or two and see what the Eastern king will do about you're kidnapping." He explained to them, an angry glint in his eyes. Kagome blinked.

"Wow. You're a lot brighter than I thought…" She said thoughtfully. He flinched and turned towards her slowly. 

"_What?!_" He asked; his glare could have melted rock at that point. Kagome swallowed nervously.

"Never mind!" She said quickly, grabbing Sango's hand and dragging her back over to the camp. 

Later the group cleaned up, and packed everything they needed. Sango made a small carrier for Shippo out of the extra blanket she had, tying it to Kirara securely with rope. The small kit was still out cold, and probably would be for a while. Hitori had insisted that he ride near his friend, so she let him sit in front of her. She had wanted to leave the monk behind, but after he made a big show of promising not to do anything inappropriate she allowed him to ride with her. 

Inuyasha offered to carry Kagome, which wasn't a problem at all. Except when Kagome had declined, saying that it would be embarrassing. Sooner or later they managed to get her to agree, and were finally off to the nearest village to heal Shippo and stock up on supplies. They were going across the plains, which was no easy task. There were small demons out there that feasted on the horses, but thankfully nothing big. 

After they trekked across the plains, they'd have to climb across the mountain range that protected the Western territory. And that would be the most dangerous part of this journey. Sango would be their guide, considering she had entered the Western Lands before to exterminate some pesky crop eating demons. After the mountain they would have to cross the Western Lands and get to the castle, where lord Sesshoumaru dwelled.

…Not very much fun…

Surprisingly the nearest village was only a half a mile away, and it didn't take the group long to land and enter, buy a room at the nearest Inn, and settle Shippo into one of the beds.

"I hope he's healing okay…" Kagome muttered, patting the boys auburn hair gently. He was still asleep, and according to Hitori he hadn't woken since he was shot. She turned as the door opened, and Miroku and Sango entered. Inuyasha and Hitori had already settled themselves into the place. Inuyasha sat in the wooden chair that went with the desk in the corner and Hitori was fast asleep on the bed nearest Shippo. The poor boy was really worried about his friend. 

"Okay, we have the room for three days. We don't have much money and that was all we could afford." Sango sighed and sat down on the bed she had claimed as hers. There were four beds in the room altogether, along with a desk and chair, which Inuyasha was currently occupying, and a small widow. The room was underground, so the walls were made with reinforced wood, and the window showed the ground at the villager's feet. 

The village was small and quaint itself. There was a small pasture where horses were fenced in, a village store, a weapon shop, a smithy, and even a small library. And of course, as all villages had, there was a tavern, where most of the women and girls worked.

"Well, let's just hope he wakes up by then." Kagome muttered, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Oi, where are you going?" Inuyasha's voice stopped her. She turned around and glared at him, her hands on her hips. 

"I'm going to check out the village, princess." She growled, whipping around and stalking through the door. Inuyasha blinked in surprise. She'd never snapped like that before… wait…

"**_PINCESS?!_**" 

Sango glanced at the angry Hanyou, and the grinning monk. She stood up as well, not wanting to stay in a room full of boys.

"I agree with Kagome. See you guys later!" And with that, the girls were gone.

"Come on Sango, let's visit the tavern." Kagome prompted her friend as they walked through the streets of Kalm, as the village was called. Sango nodded and followed her.

"But remember we can't spend too much money. We didn't take any when we got you out of there so we're really short." She reminded her. Kagome turned to her once they entered the building and smiled.

"Don't worry Sango. I just wanted to smell the bread since I haven't been able to smell anything other than the castle for five years." She assured her friend. Sango nodded.

"Okay, just as long as we have enough for supplies." She said, walking over to a wooden table. "Why don't we get the supplies while were out?" She suggested. Kagome sat down at the table, her friend sitting across from her. 

"Sure! Then we can be ready way ahead of time, and maybe even have time to rest and have a bit of fun!" She grinned and Sango smiled. Taking out a piece of parchment and a small pen with ink she always brought with her, she began to write down what they needed. After awhile a maid came over, one who looked no older than Kagome, and gave them a smile. 

"Hello, I'm Kieri. Would you like anything to eat or drink?" She asked politely. Kagome looked up at the name, then gave a confused glance at Sango. 

"You're name sounds familiar…" She muttered, shrugging it off. She was about to politely say she wasn't hungry when the wonderful smells of the fresh cooked bread invaded her senses. Then she realized she was starving…

"Uh, yeah. How about two slices of you're bread. It smells really nice." She smiled at the maid, who nodded and wrote the order down on a piece of parchment with some charcoal. The women of this village had learned to write somehow, which was surprising. The women in most villages couldn't even read, but the one's here could read and write.

Sango looked up and gave her friend a knowing look, which she returned with a hopeless look.

"You and fresh bread." She muttered, shaking her head and going back to her list.

"Anything else?" Kieri asked. Kagome shook her head and the maid went off to get their bread. For once it was a good thing that no one really knew what she looked like. If they did, she would have been found and brought back to the castle. Kagome's eyes glazed over as she went into a thoughtful position. 

What was the king going to do? She'd been kidnapped after he had announced a marriage proposal. To the lord of the North of all people. And what was worse she'd even considered it for a while, thinking she'd see Inuyasha again. But with his sudden appearance, she threw it down the waterfall and went with him to where he was going. She was even a little excited about going to the West with him and all her friends. But before they could do any heavy traveling Shippo had to get better first. She was already fond of the little kitsune, even if she hadn't really met him yet. He was a baby and needed protecting, and that was all she needed to know. 

Inuyasha had changed from what she used to know. When he was young he was innocent and loved to play tricks on everything that made him laugh. Her mother and father loved him, and treated him as if he was their own son. Souta also loved the young Hanyou, and always wanted to play with him. She had to admit that she was worried about leaving her little brother with that evil king, but she would see him again soon enough. Or so she hoped.

But now, Inuyasha was older, and maybe even a bit harsh. Yes he did use profanity, one thing he didn't do much when he was young, but now he spoke it freely. She didn't really mind that. But, he had also seemed to close himself off to everyone. He didn't speak as freely with her as he used to, nor did he joke as much. 

Her face took on a determined look as Sango finished up her list, and their bred was laid before them. She grabbed her piece with a quick thank you to their maid and went back to her thoughts. Well, if he was closed off to the world, then she'd just have to open him up once again! She smiled at her decision and looked over to Sango, who ate the last bit of her bread and stood up, list in hand. 

"Ready to go Kagome? We'd better get the supplies before sundown. We have quite a bit to get." Sango informed her, stretching her muscles. Kagome stuffed the last bit of bred in her mouth and stood up; her cheeks puffed out like a hamsters.

"Yupfh." She said, mouth full of bred. Sango nodded and left a tip for Kieri, then walked out of the tavern with her friend trailing behind.

**_*~^~3 Hours Later~^~*_**

****

"Ok, we've got rope." 

"Check." Kagome muttered, putting the rope aside. They'd been out half the day looking for everything Sango had written on the list. When they got back to the Inn, everyone but Inuyasha had fallen asleep. Well, the only people who were awake when they left was Miroku and Inuyasha, so it didn't surprise them too much. Inuyasha now sat on the floor, looking extremely bored, and helping them check off what they had just for the heck of it.

"Water canteens?"

"Check." Came the monotone reply.

"Food?" 

"Yup…"

"And last but not least, the blankets"

"Check." Inuyasha and Kagome said in union. Sango sighed and put down the parchment; walking over to one of the packs they had bought to carry the supplies and began to pack. 

"Why don't you guys get some rest?" She asked as she thrust a blanket into the pack that was going to carry said item. "Don't want to be tired when Inuyasha shows you more on the sword." She smirked at their blushes. 

"Keh." The Hanyou muttered standing to go lay down on his bed, though he wasn't going to sleep at all. "You guys can sleep. I don't need to." He told them arrogantly. Kagome stood up and stretched, falling face first onto her bed. On the right was Hitori and Shippo's bed, and to the left was Inuyasha's, though it wouldn't be used all that much. Kagome had insisted on sleeping near the kids, making sure they were okay during the night. Sango had protested about sleeping near the monk, but once she saw that there was a least five feet between their beds (due to some moving around) she was happy to sleep there. Just as long as she made sure there was a dagger, ready for use under her pillow if he should try anything. 

Soon, the demon exterminator and the young princess were fast asleep, enjoying their pleasant dreams. Inuyasha rolled over on his bed about an hour after they had fallen into dreamland. He was bored as heck, but didn't want to wake anyone up. He knew humans needed sleep, and if they didn't they would go insane, or so he'd heard. He couldn't help but notice that Kagome was turned his way, her face peaceful with sleep. 

She hadn't changed much; she still had her smile, her long hair, and even her stubbornness. Though, she wasn't as happy and giddy as she was before. That would be the fault of staying trapped in a castle for such a long time. She had been training with a bow when she was younger, but the new king must have forbidden it when he came to power. 

He sighed and turned on his back to stare at the ceiling. The kingdom hadn't changed much either. Except for half of the villagers starving. The king didn't even perform the rights when the Taijiya were destroyed. He still couldn't believe that all of them were stuck in that huge building when the monster attacked. When he heard of the monster, he was afraid Kagome had been hurt. But once he saw her safe, he could rest easy. 

He turned back to face Kagome again, not comfortable in this bed. He watched as her chest would raise and fall under her blanket. As he watched her face, he became tired himself, which surprised him to no end. _Well…it is just a little past noon…I'll just rest a bit_ He yawned widely, turning over to his stomach on the bed, and falling slowly into a light slumber.   


	9. A Day in the Village

**A/N: **New chapter!  And another update that took forever! ^-^ Sorry if I seem to be neglecting my other fics, but I have not forgotten them! I assure you! Now, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **……………………

**Chapter IX**

**A Day in the Village**

***~^~***

Kagome was having a wonderful dream. It was a beautiful dream about her getting married to the one person she loved most in the entire world. She couldn't see his face yet, but she knew that this dream might actually come true! Her brother was dressed in a kings' outfit, of course small enough to fit him, and Sango was there with Kirara, throwing Sakura petals around her and her husband. Even Miroku was there, waving happily beside Sango. Just as she and her fiancée exchanged their vows, none other than her fated enemy rudely awakened her once again.

Ice-cold river water…

She spluttered awake again, exactly like the morning before. She opened her eyes; an icy glare aimed straight for the person she knew was responsible. 

She knew he wouldn't, in all the worlds, be the person in her dream…

Turning to look out the small window on the left side of the room, she noted dryly that it was dark, as it was the morning before.

"Raise and shine princess." The Hanyou boy said cheerfully. She slowly edged away from him, giving him the evil eye. Inuyasha was never cheerful. Truth was Inuyasha was waiting until she got at least twelve hours of sleep to wake her up. Staring at a rock ceiling was NOT fun…

"You should have been sleeping." She grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He shrugged and grabbed Sango's sword from the other side of the room. 

"You got enough sleep didn't you? Besides, now we have more time to practice." He told her, heading for the door. They both managed to keep their voices quiet enough so as to not wake their sleeping companions. No matter how harmless Sango looked while she was asleep, she did NOT tolerate a rude awakening…

Kagome grumbled but managed to fall out of bed and grab her kimono from the stack of supplies in the corner. She glared at the Hanyou waiting at the door until he got the message to make himself scarce while she changed. She quickly put it on for fear of the pervert awakening while she was in the process. Once she was fully clothed she quietly made her way over to the sleeping Shippo. She had taken a good look at the boys wound when she re-wrapped his bandage and noticed that the arrow had nearly impaled the poor kit. If he hadn't been transformed at the time it may not have been nearly as serious, but it was. 

She patted his head gently before standing and walking out the door to take her sword lesson with the impatient Hanyou. He scoffed when she walked out and said nothing as he led her outside to practice. They walked through the village and into the horse fields. Kagome watched, as Inuyasha seemed to know exactly where they were going, and not just picking something random. 

_He must have scouted the place out earlier…_ The thought brought a smile to the girls face. _He must have looked forward to helping me…Either that or he was bored to death…_She voted for the later…

"Here." He suddenly stopped in the middle of a large horse field and turned to her, holding out the sword for her to take. "Were gonna work on you're foot work since you got the swinging down pretty well." 

She took the sword and looked around. Yes it was a large enough space, but the moon didn't offer that much light. She could hardly see anything, since the moon was just a tiny slit in the sky. 

"How are we going to practice if it's nearly too dark to see anything?" She asked, finding him by the slight glow the moon allowed on his silver hair, and the glow of his Youkai eyes. He scoffed.

"It's better this way. If you can't see where you're stepping and you get used to it it'll seem like second nature to you." He told her, walking over to a broken wooden fence. He pulled off one of the logs with ease, and turned to her, holding it like a sword. Kagome gulped and unsheathed Sango's sword, holding it like he taught her to. Slowly he walked over to her, then began to circle her, just as slowly. She kept the sword in front of her as she watched his movements. Suddenly he shifted quickly, causing her to step back in surprise, but it must have rained here a not long ago, and the dirt was still slightly wet. So she slipped and fell on the hard ground, dropping the sword and looking at the sky in surprise. Then she heard muffled laughter from her right…

"Inuyasha, you idiot!" She snarled, grabbing the sword and standing quickly, facing him with an angry glare. "You meant for that to happen!" She growled. He just laughed harder. She snarled again and ran towards him, sword raised. He quickly lifted the log in front of him, staving off her attack. He grinned at her from behind it, amusement dancing in his eyes, even if she couldn't see it she knew it was there. The boy was teasing her, and she didn't like that at all. She growled as she put all of her weight behind the small katana, hoping she could at least slice through the log. 

Inuyasha was no pushover, that was for sure. She'd seen him hunting in the woods near the castle a few times, and thanked the gods that she wasn't a rabbit. He attacked like a predator, quick and unpredictable. She could hardly believe that he was a Hanyou, his flashy movements and speedy reflexes were nearly that of a full demon. But, sometimes she wondered how he could do it. She knew he'd been on his own for a while, after his brother kicked him out of the Western lands, so maybe he had to learn to attack like that? It was certainly a possibility. 

She squeaked as he pushed back with minimum effort, nearly making her loose her balance once again. But she didn't fall for his trick this time, and stood her ground, eyes blazing. Inuyasha smirked and began attacking her with the log, but slow enough for her to block in time. He began to move around, being sure she could follow him easily, after about half an hour, he decided to let her have a break. She gratefully nodded and plopped into the grass, panting hard. He stood above her, watching in amusement. 

She was a very quick learner. It had only taken her two days to get most of the movements down. When they got to the West he'd have to ask the smithy to make her a sword Sango's size. Just so she could protect herself of course. Smirking he pulled out a canteen, full of water (He'd filled the canteens out of boredom) and handed it to her. She looked up at him and broke into a huge grin at the offered water. She took it gratefully and downed it like a starving animal. He chuckled at her obvious fatigue and sat down next to her, watching as the horizon began to glow a warm dark blue. 

Once the girl had quenched her thirst, she tapped him and handed the canteen over. "Thanks, I needed that." She smiled. He shrugged and took the water from her outstretched hand, putting it back into his haori and standing up once more. 

"Ready?" He asked, reaching a hand down to help her up. She stared at it as if she was amazed, but took it and smiled up at him as he pulled her up, careful not to overdo it lest she go flying into his chest. They continued to practice for another half hour, and by that time the sun had risen, and the men had began to leave for the fields. There were groups of women entering the tavern to start their work, but the practicing friends paid then no notice. After the second half hour, Kagome had tripped a total of three times and managed to lock Inuyasha twice, which was an accomplishment she was very proud of. 

Inuyasha dodged as Kagome thrust the blade toward his chest, then he knocked her blade away, trying to get her face, but she twisted around so that his blow missed. Before he had the chance to pull back, he felt the tip of her blade at his neck, and his mouth fell open in surprise. Glancing down he saw the girl beneath him, smirking as she saw his bewildered expression. He dropped his hands and leaned back as she straitened, staring at the tip of the blade and hoping nothing would spook her. 

Suddenly there was quiet clapping from the direction of the tavern, which was right next to where they were practicing. They both snapped their gazes towards one of the bar maids, who stood happily clapping her hands.

"Wow, you're really good with a sword my lady." She said, smiling over to Kagome who blushed and dropped the sword from the Hanyou's throat. Inuyasha smirked as she jumped when the blade clattered to the grass, not really believing she had actually gotten that good in the span of an hour. 

"W-well he's the one who taught me." She muttered, indicating her Hanyou friend. Then she napped her gaze up and smiled as the maid reginized her. "Hey, you're the maid that served Sango and I bred yesterday. Um, Kieri!" She smiled and walked up to her, leaving Inuyasha to pick up the fallen sword and sheath it, walking up to stand next to her. The maid grinned.

"What a coincidence!" She laughed. Bending down she picked up a tray that had been sitting at her feet, causing Inuyasha and Kagome to look on in curiosity. "I've been watching you two for a while, and I thought with all that practicing you would be hungry, so I baked you some fresh bred." She smiled and handed them the tray. "You guys really look good together." 

Kagome and Inuyasha blushed at the compliment, but took the tray. 

"I know you're not going to stay here for long, no one ever does. And if it's not too private may I ask where you're heading to?" She asked politely, her sky blue eyes wide in curiosity. Kagome smiled as she grabbed a piece of the fresh bred.

"We're heading towards the Western Lands to stay at the castle. Lord Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha's older brother, and we're hoping that we can stay a while." She took a bite out of the slice and savored the taste. Kieri's mouth dropped open as she stared at the Hanyou boy, who tasted the bred himself. Deciding that he liked it he took three pieces, leaving two for Kagome. 

"L-lord Inuyasha? I thought you were killed!" She said, bowing quickly in respect. Inuyasha blushed at her formal administrations. 

"Is that the story he's spouting? Or did he think that because he learned of the slave thing?" He asked, turning to the girl. She gulped, suddenly apprehensive around the prince. 

"Lord Sesshoumaru has been looking for his Hanyou brother for some time. He's never said why, but it is known through all of the bordering villages." Kieri informed them. She sighed and looked at the ground sadly. "My husband lives at the castle. He's tried many times to allow me to enter, but because I'm human the guards refuse to allow me inside. He's captain of the guard now, or so I've heard. I haven't seen, nor heard from him in months. And I'm beginning to worry." Tears began to glisten in her eyes and she tried hard to push them back. Inuyasha began to panic. There was still one thing he would hate forever, no matter where he went: A woman crying.

"H-hey! We'll make sure this guy's alive and be sure to tell you! Just don't start crying!" He said, before mentally smacking himself. Kagome looked back at him in surprise and Kieri's head shot up. 

"Y-you will?" She asked, also surprised.

"Yes! Just don't cry." He sighed at his obvious weakness. Her eyes lit up and she smiled happily.

"Thank you so much my lord! If you wouldn't mind waiting till my shift is over I can give you some maps he made me. He said they were the safest routes through the mountains and the fastest." She smiled gratefully at the Hanyou boy, who just stuffed another slice of bred in his mouth.

"Keh…" He muttered.

"Can we help with you're chores? Or anything around the tavern? We're leaving tomorrow and already have what we need." Kagome asked, following the girl into the building, Inuyasha trailing behind, still chewing his bred. Kieri looked surprised but smiled at the offer.

"Well, you could help me bake the bred. The other girls make the meat and the other food, but I'm the best with bred. Lord Inuyasha could chop wood for the many fire's we have around this place. We're running low, and the men haven't had time to come around and help. But, that's only if he wants to." She directed her gaze to the boy, who was looking around the tavern. 

"I ain't got nothin' better to do…" He muttered as he used his nose to lead him to where the wood was kept. When she was sure he was gone Kieri leaned over to Kagome and whispered in her ear.

"He certainly doesn't speak like a lord…" She muttered. Kagome giggled. 

"Come on, let's get to work!" She smiled as Kieri led her into the kitchen. 

***~^~***

Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku had been preparing for their departure, with nothing better to do. They had everything where they wanted it; made sure Shippo was bandaged, and left Hitori to watch over him. Now they were sitting in the room, waiting for their two missing companions to return. Sango had noticed that her sword had disappeared, and assumed Inuyasha had taken it to teach Kagome once more. 

"Maybe they visited the tavern…?" Miroku suggested after about half an hour of staring at the wall. Sango had threatened to chop one of his fingers off if he even looked at her. The girl sighed and stood up. She turned to the boy sitting next to the kit on the bed and smiled.

"We're going to look for Inuyasha and Kagome. Hitori you stay here and watch over Shippo. Come look for us if anything happens." She told him, and he nodded. Then she turned her gaze over to Miroku, who looked at her innocently. Her eyes narrowed. "Houshi, you come with me…" She growled turning towards the door and making sure Miroku got a good look at the dagger she slipped in her kimono. Miroku sighed and stood up; grabbing his staff he followed Sango out the door. 

Before they started looking they stopped at the tavern for breakfast, also to see if their missing companions were dining there as well. When they entered, the first thing they noticed was that there were a lot of people. Then they searched the sea of heads for any silver hair. They didn't find any. So, giving into their hunger they walked over to an empty table and sat down. Once Sango was sure she could see Miroku's hands she began to relax and admire the craftsmanship of the wooden walls and tables. 

They were of oak, a very rare tree in the Eastern lands, and had beautiful pictures carved into them. The beams on the ceiling were carved to look like horses, and there was a bright painted mural on the roof. It was one of the many legends of the Eastern Lands, about a horse lord who led his people in the freeing of the lands so long ago. 

At that time, one evil king had ruled all four lands, and made everyone, man or demon, bow down to his power. He set fire to whole cities for just the joy of it. But in the Eastern Mountains, an army was growing. The Horse Lord-as people called him-was gathering men from all around to fight against the evil king. Soon, he had an army over ten-thousand large, and all of them, human and demon alike, attacked the king. 

After a great battle they were able to defeat him, and his armies and gained rule over the land. The Horse Lord gave three of the best soldiers a land of their own. There was lord Kawashi, a wolf demon, who received the Southern Lands, Lord Shiyo, a great dog-demon who gained the Western Lands, and, as many had thought then, the brave man Onigumo, who was given the Northern Lands. 

The Horse Lord reigned over the Eastern Lands, and was human so the lords balanced out. Onigumo was the only one to keep different Youkai in his kingdom, and as some say that was what corrupted him. For one day, Onigumo changed, no one knew how, or why but his lands fell, and soon, the kingdom was feared by all humans. The demons were the head of everything, building slave mines, and the capturing of humans to work in them. The Horse Lord tried to stop him, but never returned, and his son took up the throne. No one had tried again to get it to stop, although everyone has no appreciation of it.

Sango was torn from her thoughts when someone approached their table. She glanced at them before doing a double take gaping like a fish. 

"K-Kagome?!" She said, surprised. Kagome was surprised as well, but not to the gaping extent. Miroku looked over, also surprised at first, but then breaking into a large grin.

"Ah, Lady Kagome, what are you doing here?" He asked politely. She smiled and gestured to the kitchens. 

"Someone asked Inuyasha and I to help them with the morning chores. She also has maps of the safest routes to take through the mountains, and offered to give them to us if we can tell her if her husband is over there." She explained, taking out some parchment and a carved stick of charcoal. "So, is there anything I can get you guys?" She asked, cocking her head to the side with a happy smile. Sango smiled back and nodded. 

"How about one of those breakfast meals I'm hearing said all over the place?" She grinned. Kagome giggled and blushed slightly. 

"Actually it's a recipe I read from one of the cooking books in the library at the castle. It's the first time I've tried it out so it's not that good…" She blushed once more. Sango grinned.

"But by the way people are complimenting it, I'd say it's pretty tasty." Miroku nodded from across the table. Kagome smiled and wrote the orders down. 

"Anything to drink?" She asked. 

"Just some water. Thanks Kagome." Sango winked and Kagome giggled again.

"Okay, you're orders should be up soon." And with that, she skipped off to the kitchen to get the meals. Sango and Miroku exchanged amused glances, but when Sango met his gaze, she couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks, and looked away suddenly.

_'He's a letch! A cute letch but one just the same.' _She peeked over her shoulder at the monk, who was ogling at how many barbaric drunk men could actually live in a village this small, and blushed again. 

So, she began to say a mantra in her head, _'He's a letch, he's a letch, he's a letch, he's a very cute letch… Argh!' _She pouted. Okay, she thought he was cute, but what girl wouldn't!? Soon after, Kagome returned with their food and water, and smiled again, taking an extra cup and muttering something about 'Inuyasha' and 'hot fire's'. And so, when she left, Sango enjoyed her meal, but didn't notice that the monk was smiling at her with a knowing look. 

_'You can't fool me girl' _He thought amused, then dug into breakfast. 

***~^~***

"Three-hundred-forty-seven." Inuyasha muttered, chopping another log in half, throwing both pieces into the furnace before him, and wiping his brow. It was _hot _in this room! It was just a tiny shack made out of brick, which held the furnace and some un-chopped wood. At first he just chopped them and threw them to a pile near the furnace, but then it had gotten low, so he brought some of it inside and used the ax to chop them in there. He'd taken off his outer, and inner kimono a while ago, and they both hung still to his body due to the tight sash around his waist. 

He looked over to the pile of un-chopped wood and sighed, grabbing another one and raising the ax above his head.

"Three-hundred-forty-eight." And brought it down. As he threw the pieces into the fire he heard the door open behind him, and turned curious eyes to see who it was. He was surprised to see Kagome standing there. "Kagome?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She just smiled and walked over. When she was close enough, he noticed a crimson blush bled into her cheeks, and mentally smirked. Setting the ax buy the slab of concrete used for chopping, he walked up to her and crossed his arms over his bare chest waiting for her to elaborate.

"Um, I thought you might be thirsty, and it's kinda hot in here so I brought you some water…" She muttered, handing him the cup. He just then noticed how dry his throat had become, and snorted, taking the cup from her hand and gulping some of it down. Then he used the rest and poured it over his head. That felt good… The girl huffed and spun around, walking back to the tavern. Inuyasha glanced at her and scowled.

"Hey, what was that look for?" He asked, and she turned around and glared at him. 

"Well you could have said 'thank you'! I didn't have to think about you're well being you know!" She said, hands on her hips. Inuyasha softened slightly but didn't give up. 

"I didn't think thank you was so important! Its just shows that you're going down to someone else's level to give them gratitude!" He growled, and Kagome's glare turned lethal.

"What do you mean 'someone else's level'?" She asked, anger emanating from every part of her body. His eyes narrowed.

"I mean showing vulnerability. If you get caught showing it then you're dead." He said, turning back to the ax and throwing it over his shoulder. Kagome blinked, then gasped quietly as he turned his back to her. In the middle of it was a large scar, old but still there. She walked closer to get a better look. He felt her walking up behind him, and assumed she'd found it. He'd forgotten that was there, and turned his back on her. He acted as if he didn't feel her coming up behind him and raised the ax.

"What did they do to you…?" She muttered, reaching a hand out to hover over the scar. The skin was lighter around it, and it looked as if it had hurt greatly, but he was a Hanyou, it should have disappeared. The ax came down harder than expected, and the wood it split flew across the room. She saw his back tense and stepped back.

"It's what happens when you're vulnerable…" He growled, grabbing another log and smashing it forcefully once more. She looked to the ground, her heart aching at the hidden hurt in his voice. You would just think he was angry about it, but she knew him better, he was hurting, and she felt helpless.

"I-I'm sorry…" She muttered looking at the ground. He suddenly whirled, his fangs bared and his eyes angry.

"I don't need any sympathy! Not from you, not from that damn monk or Sango! Just go back inside and leave me the hell alone!" He snarled, turning back to his task, and smashing more wood. Kagome looked at him, her eyes sad, then turned to do his bidding. Yes, the Hanyou boy had changed a lot in these years… But she would change him back, no matter what.

***~^~***

 "Thank you so much for the maps Kieri, I don't know what we could have done without you're help." Kagome smiled brightly, and Kieri smiled back.

"It's not a problem, I'm happy to help anyone out." She said. Miroku and Sango had gone back to the inn to take care of the payment, and make sure everything was in the right place. 

Inuyasha had stayed with her, and after their fight he hadn't said anything much. Right now he sat in a tree above the pasture, watching the horses graze with bored eyes. Kieri glanced up at him and smiled back at Kagome. "If you want, you guys can ride a couple of my horses for a while. Lord Inuyasha seems very bored here." She giggled slightly. Kagome grinned and nodded vigorously. She hadn't been on a horse in ages. She walked quietly over to the tree after giving Kieri a final thanks and smiled up at her friend. 

"Hey, Inuyasha." He didn't acknowledge her, but she knew he was listening. "You want to ride horses with me?" She asked, and saw him slant a look down at her.

"No." He said firmly, turning his gaze back to the pasture. Kagome huffed. Then she smirked. Being the Hanyou's best friend has its quirks. 

"What, are you afraid them? Big strong Inuyasha is afraid of horses!" She laughed. He hated it when she did that, but it always took a bite at his pride.

"I am not! I'll go with you already." He snapped, jumping from the tree to land next to her, a scowl on his face. She smiled in triumph.

"Good, lets go." And with that, she led the unwilling Hanyou over to the small stables behind Kieri's hut, and chose a beautiful pure black horse. Black horses were used by the south most of the time, so a wolf demon must have come across the village to sell the horse. Kieri had three horses, a pure black, from the South, a pure white, most likely from the West, and a Paint, brown and white. 

Kagome smiled as she led the horse from the stall, brushing it then putting on a leather bridle, most likely sold at the tack shop in town. Inuyasha had chosen the white one, and brushed that one as well. It had also been forever since he had ridden a horse, and he wasn't quite sure of himself yet. Once Kagome had finished the bridle, she tied up the wooden saddle and finished tacking up the horse. She waited until Inuyasha was done, and when he was she attempted to climb on the horses back…and fell on her behind. She grumbled as she rubbed it and stood up, surprised to hear Inuyasha chuckling. 

"Here I'll help you." He said, and lifted the shell-shocked girl into the saddle. Once he was sure she wouldn't fall off, he got on his own horse, and rode up next to Kagome, who was still quite shocked. "C'mon, I ain't gonna wait all day." He said, irritated, then kicked his horse off and galloped into the fields. Kagome came out of her stupor and kicked her horse off as well, following the half-demon into the fields, and smiling slightly.

_'Well, he's still the same in some ways…'_ She thought, riding up to the Hanyou to challenge him to a race.

***~^~***


End file.
